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1959 Map of Dodge City

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Dodge City
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

Dodge City and the vast agricultural plains of southwest Kansas are documented here in the mid-1950s, a landscape defined by the life-giving corridors of the Arkansas River and Cimarron River. The region’s development is closely tied to its transportation networks, with the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe and the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific railroads connecting remote grain elevators and shipping hubs like Garden City and Liberal.

Rural social infrastructure is highly visible through a system of country schools and community landmarks, including Shockey School, Moundview School, and the Friends Church. Research facilities such as the Kansas State College Experiment Station and the United States Soil Conservation Service Headquarters indicate the era's focus on land management and irrigation, while Lake McKinney provides a rare concentrated water source amidst the surrounding sand hills.