1957 Map of Ellinwood SW

About this map

Fort Zarah Park marks a significant historical waypoint just east of Great Bend, situated near the confluence of Walnut Creek and the Arkansas River. This late-1950s landscape, later updated in the 1970s, illustrates the heavy industrial footprint of central Kansas through the pervasive Oil Field infrastructure scattered across the Comanche and South Bend townships. The transportation corridor is dominated by the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad, which runs parallel to the river and connects the larger hub of Great Bend to the smaller siding at Dartmouth. South of the river, the terrain shifts into more irregular contours and sand hills, contrasting with the leveled, levee-protected agricultural and industrial lands to the north. These details, including a prominent Radio Tower and the Sewage Disposal plant, reflect the mid-century municipal growth of the region.