1925 Map of Gower

About this map

Matheys Mill and Union Mill School stand along the winding course of the Platte River, anchoring a rural landscape defined by small-scale milling and local education in the 1920s. This survey, completed in part by J.G. Staack and J.B. Leavitt, reveals a high density of country schoolhouses such as Arnoldsville School, Ebenezer School, and Madden School, which served the farming townships of Marion, Tremont, and Lafayette. The region is a intersection of early 20th-century rail travel, with the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific and the Chicago Burlington and Quincy railroads facilitating the movement of goods and people through settlements like Easton, Gower, and Stewartsville. Religious and community life is documented through numerous landmarks including Mt Moriah Church and Independence Church, alongside family-named burial grounds like Blinkley Cem and Bretz Cem.