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1949 Map of Girard

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Girard
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1949
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1949

About this map

Girard serves as the focal point of this Kansas landscape, situated at the junction of the St Louis and San Francisco and the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroads. The late 1940s topography reveals a dense network of rural one-room schoolhouses, such as Prairie Bell Sch and Fair Oak Sch, which anchored the agricultural townships before mid-century consolidation. These institutions, alongside numerous family cemeteries like Spangler Cem and Mills Cem, highlight the established social fabric of Crawford Co and Bourbon Co.

The terrain is defined by the winding course of Walnut Creek and the Dry Wood Fork, with the creation of Farlington Lake and its adjacent State Park marking a significant water management and recreational feature in the northern section. Smaller hamlets like Hepler, Brazilton, and Hiattville dot the grid, connected by a mix of improved and unimproved roads that follow the township and range lines. The presence of the Missouri Pacific line through Hiattville further emphasizes the era's reliance on rail for moving grain and livestock from the surrounding plains.