1939 Map of Caruthersville

About this map

Caruthersville sits at a critical bend of the Mississippi River, where the complex hydrology of the Bootheel is on full display before the mid-century's massive flood control changes. This 1939 survey records a landscape defined by its relation to the water, from the Little Prairie Bend to the numerous islands like Island No 18 and Island No 20. The map documents a dense network of rural infrastructure, including namesake schools like McCarty Sch and Needmore Sch, which served the farming and timber communities along the riverbanks. The industrial footprint of the era is evident in settlements like Mengelwood and Band Mill in Tennessee, while the St Louis Southwestern railroad provides the primary overland connection through Hayti and Carlston. The detailed recording of revetments, retards, and dikes along Linwood Bend illustrates the ongoing struggle to stabilize this volatile stretch of the river.