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1939 Map of Hales Point

Name: 1939 Topographic Map of Hales Point
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1943
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1943

About this map

The Mississippi River creates a complex, shifting border between Arkansas and Tennessee, defining a landscape of active river engineering and ancient oxbows. This 1939 survey, updated under the Flood Control Act, documents a period when local life was tied closely to the water at landings like Barr Ldg and Tamm Ldg. The presence of the Needham Cut-Off (1821) illustrates early efforts to straighten the river, leaving behind isolated terrain like Moss Island and Island No 21.

Further inland, the junction of the Obion River and Forked Deer River feeds into an intricate network of wetlands and ponds, including Chisholm Lake and Open Lake. Rural community centers are marked by landmarks such as Henning Grove Ch & Sch and St Marys Ch. The map provides a detailed view of these riverbank settlements before mid-century changes, documenting family cemeteries like Buckner Cem and schools like Gray Sch that served these isolated riverine parishes.