Loading map...

1984 Map of Des Moines

Name: 1984 Topographic Map of Des Moines
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1985
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1985

About this map

The Des Moines River and its major impoundments, Saylorville Lake and Big Creek Lake, anchor this mid-1980s look at central Iowa. This regional study reveals the suburban expansion of the state capital alongside its deep-rooted agricultural and institutional foundations. Institutional footprints are prominent, from the sprawling Camp Dodge Military Reservation and the Woodward State Hospital to the Iowa State Univ Experimental Farm south of Ames.

Transportation networks, including the Chicago and North Western railroad and historic crossings like High Bridge and Chestnut Ford Bridge, illustrate the movement of goods and people between the smaller grain-belt settlements of Madrid, Huxley, and Maxwell. To the east, the landscape transitions toward the industrial and agricultural hub of Newton, while numerous conservation areas like the Chichaqua Wildlife Habitat and Colfax State Wildlife Management Area preserve the river valley's natural character amidst the surrounding grid of farms.