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1940 Map of Cleveland

Name: 1940 Topographic Map of Cleveland
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1946
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1946

About this map

Cleveland and Ruleville anchor this delta landscape during a period of extensive flood control work under the 1940 Flood Control Act. The region is defined by a dense network of waterways like the Sunflower River, Roundaway Bayou, and Jones Bayou, which dictated the layout of early Mississippi plantations and subsequent town sites. This survey reveals a high density of rural institutions, including the Doddsville Industrial Institute and numerous church-school pairings such as New Salem Sch and Roundaway Sch, highlighting the importance of localized education and faith in Bolivar and Sunflower counties.

Transportation is dominated by the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley RR and the Columbus and Greenville RR, which served agricultural hubs like Dockery and Boyle. The map also preserves the locations of numerous family-named landmarks and cemeteries, including Boyer Cem and Oneal Cem, providing a detailed look at the social geography of the Mississippi Delta before mid-century modernization altered many of these small-scale features.