1961 Map of Forbes

About this map

The Burlington Northern railroad corridor defines the lower landscape of this Holt County region, running parallel to the broad Missouri River and its expansive Burr Oak Bottom. In the early 1960s, the community of Forbes sat at the base of a series of ridges, just north of the rail lines and the wide river bends that separate Missouri from Kansas. Further inland, the terrain is deeply dissected by numerous watercourses like Rock Creek, Hickory Creek, and Easter Creek, which created a series of hollows and heights that dictated the placement of early rural infrastructure. Genealogists and local historians will find several distinct burial sites and community centers throughout these hills, including Brodbeck Cem, Highland Cem, and Forbes Cem. The distribution of rural schools such as Highland Sch and Monarch Sch indicates a landscape once dotted with small, decentralized farming communities.