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1944 Map of Cureall

Name: 1944 Topographic Map of Cureall
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1962
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1962

About this map

Bakersfield and the rolling Ozark terrain of southern Missouri are mapped here during the mid-1940s, just as the rural landscape was shaped by a network of one-room schools and country churches. The geography is defined by the South Fork Spring River and Bennett Bayou, where river crossings like Double Spring Ford and Kelly Ford still facilitated local travel. Evidence of earlier industry persists at the Breakup Mill near Cureall and the Alice Mine to the west.

The map's detail serves as a meticulous census of vanished community hubs, from Davis Creek Sch to the Lone Pilgrim Ch in Lone Pilgrim Hollow. Settlement patterns follow the ridges and hollows, such as Crooked Ridge and Devils Backbone, with small hamlets like Pottersville, Elijah, and Caulfield serving as anchors for the surrounding farmsteads. These labels provide a clear view of the area's social fabric before modern consolidation changed the rural school and church systems.