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1948 Map of Gorham

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Gorham
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1948
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1948

About this map

Oakwood Bottoms and the winding course of the Big Muddy River dominate this landscape within the Shawnee National Forest. The 1948 geography reveals a complex hydraulic environment where the river creates dramatic meanders like Horseshoe Bend, Mill Bend, and Cripps Bend before reaching the Mississippi floodplain. Human activity is concentrated along the rail lines and at the base of prominent rises like Fountain Bluff.

The settlement of Gorham sits at a junction of the Missouri Pacific and Illinois Central railroads, serving as a hub for smaller rural outposts such as Grimsby and Sand Ridge. Local history is preserved through scattered landmarks including Rattlesnake Ferry on the river and several family-named burial grounds like Goodbread Cem and Henson Cem. High-ground vantage points are marked by the Fountain Bluff Lookout Tower and Hickory Ridge Lookout Tower, which monitored the surrounding timberlands.