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1957 Map of Great Bend

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of Great Bend
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1957
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

The Arkansas River and Smoky Hill River define the agricultural and industrial corridors of central Kansas in this mid-century survey. Major transportation arteries follow the water, with the Union Pacific and Missouri Pacific railroads linking established grain and cattle hubs like Great Bend, Hays, and Ellsworth. The landscape reveals the expansion of postwar infrastructure through the presence of large-scale water management projects, including the Cedar Bluff Reservoir on the Smoky Hill River and the Kanopolis Reservoir to the east.

Smaller settlements such as Bunker Hill, Kanopolis, and Ness City serve as regional anchors between the vast stretches of the High Plains. The map details a network of state and federal highways, including U.S. 40 and U.S. 281, which replaced earlier wagon trails. Notable landmarks like Round Mound provide topographical orientation in a region dominated by wide river valleys and the meandering paths of Walnut Creek and Rattlesnake Creek.