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1889 Map of Cheney

Name: 1889 Topographic Map of Cheney
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1889
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1889

About this map

The Arkansas River and the Ninnescah River systems dominate this late-nineteenth-century landscape, carving through a grid-iron pattern of township sections. This area shows a transition from river-dependent settlements to rail-oriented trade centers, with early post offices like Stella P.O. and Mona P.O. dotting the interior while growing towns such as Cheney and Garden Plain anchor the Wichita and Western Railroad. Northward, the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad connects Mt. Hope and Bentley to the broader regional economy.

Water management is evident in the early ditching and sloughs, such as Big Slough and Devils Ditch, reflecting the agricultural development of the fertile valley. Smaller communities like St. Mark, Colwich, and Andale appear in their early stages, alongside family-named landmarks like Patterson Lake and West Lake. The network of creeks, including Cowskin Creek and Polecat Creek, illustrates the complex natural drainage that early settlers navigated to establish these prairie townships.