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1965 Map of Commerce

Name: 1965 Topographic Map of Commerce
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1977
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1977

About this map

The Raccoon River meanders across this landscape, defining the southern border of the quadrangle where it meets Walnut Woods State Park. The mid-1960s survey, updated with 1976 revisions, shows the suburban edges of Des Moines pushing westward into the rural townships of Webster, Walnut, and Boone. This transition is marked by a complex network of transportation, including the crossing of the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific and the Chicago and North Western railroads.

Old settlement patterns are visible at Commerce and Ashawa, while modern infrastructure like the West Des Moines-Atlantic Interchange and Airport Interchange signal the era's rapid highway expansion. To the south, the Dale Maffitt Reservoir sits on the border of Dallas and Polk counties, providing a contrast to the industrial Gravel Pit operations near the river. Landmarks such as Maple Grove Ch and Valley High Sch provide essential anchor points for local history research.