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1923 Map of Clarksdale

Name: 1923 Topographic Map of Clarksdale
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1963
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1963

About this map

The Platte River and its multiple forks define this rural landscape in Northwest Missouri, where agricultural life followed the winding waterways and the iron paths of the steam railroads. In the 1920s, this region was a dense network of one-room schoolhouses and country churches, serving small agricultural hubs like Union Star and Clarksdale. The presence of specialized infrastructure like the Wire Bridge and Van Meter Bridge across the Third Fork Platte River highlights the early challenges of crossing these seasonally fluctuating prairies.

Rail transport was the primary economic driver, with three major lines intersecting the terrain. The Chicago Great Western RR and Chicago Burlington and Quincy RR carved paths through the hills, connecting grain elevators and stockyards in towns like Helena and Cosby to larger markets. For the genealogist, the map preserves the exact locations of numerous landmarks like Platte Chapel and the Bower Cemetery, many of which represent the early social centers for families in Rochester and Washington townships.