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1890 Map of Fort Smith

Name: 1890 Topographic Map of Fort Smith
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1910
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1910

About this map

The Arkansas River serves as the primary artery through this late 19th-century landscape, dividing Crawford and Sebastian counties. At the confluence with the Poteau River, Fort Smith and Van Buren stand as the region's major commercial hubs. The map reveals a transition from these established river towns to the more rugged terrain of the White Oak Mountains and the Sugarloaf Mountains to the south.

Tracing the path of development, the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad and the St Louis and San Francisco Railroad define the transportation network connecting smaller settlements like Jenny Lind, Hackett, and Mansfield. Significant for genealogical research are the precise locations of rural post offices and small communities such as Salem Witcherville P.O. and Oak Bower (Lavaca P.O.), which indicate the dispersed nature of settlement before the expansion of modern highways.