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1985 Map of Emporia

Name: 1985 Topographic Map of Emporia
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1990
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1990

About this map

Cottonwood Falls and Strong City anchor this mid-1980s look at the tallgrass prairie landscape of the central Flint Hills. The Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe RR follows the winding course of the Cottonwood River, connecting small rail settlements like Elmdale and Saffordville to the regional hub at Emporia. This survey captures the transition of the Kansas plains as modern infrastructure like the Turnpike bypasses older agrarian centers such as Matfield Green and Bazaar.

Conservation areas and water management define much of the eastern and central reaches, specifically the Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge and the John Redmond Reservoir. For those tracing local history, the map preserves the locations of numerous quarries and small communities like Kenbro and Teterville, which once supported the local extraction and ranching economies. The intricate drainage of Clear Creek and Diamond Creek further illustrates the complex watershed feeding the Verdigris River system.