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1953 Map of El Dorado

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of El Dorado
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1967
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1967

About this map

The Ouachita River and Saline River systems dominate this mid-century portrait of South Arkansas, where the region’s economic transition from timber to industrial energy is clearly visible. Extensive Oil and Gas Fields encircle Magnolia and El Dorado, while the massive U S Naval Ammunition Depot north of Camden highlights the era's federal presence. Transportation networks show a landscape in motion, defined by the heavy presence of the Missouri Pacific and Chicago Rock Island and Pacific railroads alongside established river ports.

Water management and conservation are evident in the sprawling Millwood Reservoir and the State Game Refuge in the southwest. Small timber and rail towns like Nashville, Prescott, and Fordyce serve as hubs between the river basins. The map captures the specific moment when traditional river geography met the burgeoning infrastructure of the mid-1960s, documenting the industrial footprints and family-named bluffs like Tates Bluff before further modern expansion.