1984 Map of De Kalb

About this map

De Kalb and the surrounding borderlands of Kemper County are defined by a complex network of river systems and state-managed lands during the early 1980s. The landscape transitions from the higher ground of Gholson Mountain down to the extensive wetlands of the Okatibbee State Wildlife Area and Okatibbee Lake. This era shows a region balanced between the traditional timber and agricultural economies of settlements like Shuqualak and Scooba, and the strategic military presence at the Naval Auxiliary Air Station near Meridian Naval Air Station. Significant cultural boundaries are evident with the Choctaw Indian Reservation and the historical grounds of Nana Waiya State Park in the northwest. The drainage patterns of the Sucarnoochee River and Chickasawhay River illustrate the natural topography that shaped early trade routes and rail corridors, including the Illinois Central Gulf and Southern lines.