1939 Map of Evadale

About this map

The Sunk Lands of Mississippi County define this drainage-focused landscape, where an extensive network of ditches—such as Ditch No 40 and Ditch No 58—carves through the fertile bottomlands between the Little River and the Mississippi River. This era of intensive land reclamation is evident in the grid-like pattern of settlements and small community hubs like Keiser, Dyess, and Wilson. The map reveals a high density of rural institutions, including the Union Valley Ch & Sch and Zion Rock Ch & Cem, serving a population connected by the St Louis San Francisco RR and the Francisco Road. Of particular interest to historians are the marked Meander Line 1846 and Meander Line 1841, which preserve the shifting course of the river systems before modern channelization altered the delta terrain.