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1901 Map of Fayetteville

Name: 1901 Topographic Map of Fayetteville
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1944
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1944

About this map

Pea Ridge Battlefield sits at the northern edge of this Northwest Arkansas landscape, a site of significant historical weight surveyed just before the turn of the century. The map reveals a robust network of early commerce and transit, with the St Louis & San Francisco RR and Kansas City Southern RR cutting through the plateaus to connect growing hubs like Fayetteville, Bentonville, and Springdale. Outside these centers, the terrain is defined by a deep reliance on the local waterways, including the Illinois River and White River.

The presence of numerous river crossings, such as Vanwinkle Ferry and Disney Ferry, alongside landmarks like Rhea's Mill and the church at Mt. Comfort, illustrates the scattered, agrarian community structure of the era. The land is heavily partitioned into townships like Esculapia and Brightwater, showing a territory in transition from frontier to a more formal regional economy driven by timber, agriculture, and the early rails.