1954 Map of Centerville

About this map

The rolling borderlands of southern Iowa and northern Missouri are defined by a dense network of river systems and rail lines in this mid-century survey. Centerville and Kirksville anchor a region where the Chariton River and Des Moines River carve through the agricultural landscape. The map captures the infrastructure of the era, showcasing the heavy rail presence of the Chicago Burlington and Quincy and the Wabash railroads that connected smaller coal and farming towns like Mystic and Seymour to larger hubs like Ottumwa.