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1958 Map of Center

Name: 1958 Topographic Map of Center
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1970
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1970

About this map

Center serves as the focal point of this Shelby County survey, positioned at the junction of the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe and the Southern Pacific railroads. The map documents a landscape in transition during the late 1950s and late 1960s, notably showing the emergence of the Toledo Bend Reservoir along the Sabine River border with Louisiana. This engineering project altered the local geography, inundating several low-lying areas while preserving the dense woods of the Sabine National Forest.

Rural life is captured through a dense network of country churches and family cemeteries, such as Blount Chapel, Lone Cedar Ch Cem, and Oaklawn Cem. The industrial and transport character of the region is further defined by the Pearce Airfield, scattered Gas Wells, and the timber interests represented by a local Sawmill. Smaller settlements like Tenaha, Joaquin, and Shelbyville anchor the surrounding timberlands and prairie.