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2022 Map of Ellston

Name: 2022 Topographic Map of Ellston
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2022
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2022

About this map

Sun Valley Lake serves as a prominent modern center of this Iowa landscape, where recreational waterfront living contrasts with the traditional agricultural grid of Ringgold Co and Decatur Co. The settlement of Ellston sits to the west, marked by its community landmarks like the Ellston Cem, while the small village of Beaconsfield anchors the central-east portion of the quadrangle. For those interested in the area's movement history, the presence of the Mormon Trl near the lake highlights the region's significance as a corridor for westward travelers in the 19th century.

Waterways like Lotts Cr, Elk Cr, and Sand Cr carve deep drainage patterns into the terrain, reflecting the natural erosion of the Southern Iowa Drift Plain. Genealogists will find several rural burial grounds scattered across the townships, including Pumptown Cem, Oliver Cem, and Bear Cem, which remain as tangible links to the early farmsteads and pioneer families of the late 1800s and early 1900s.