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1955 Map of Columbia

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Columbia
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1975
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1975

About this map

The American Bottoms floodplain meets the rising bluffs of the Sugarloaf and Millstadt uplands in this mid-century view of the St. Louis metropolitan fringe. The town of Columbia serves as a central hub, situated where the bluffs drop toward the lowlands of Carr Creek and Little Carr Creek. The landscape is a dense network of multi-generational family heritage, evidenced by numerous small burial grounds such as Lark Cem, Kleinschmidt Cem, and McConkey Cem that dot the countryside.

Heavy rail infrastructure defines the western edge of the quadrangle, with the Gulf Mobile and Ohio RR, Missouri Pacific RR, and Illinois Central RR following the level terrain of the river bottoms near Bixby and Dupo. Modern development is visible in the purple revisions showing growth at New Hanover, while older community anchors like Sand Bank Sch and Mueller Sch highlight the area's rural educational roots. An unusual local feature, the Experimental Underground Gas Storage area, indicates the specialized industrial utility of the subterranean geology south of town.