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1959 Map of Helena

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Helena
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

The Mississippi River creates a meandering border between Arkansas and Mississippi, defining the agricultural landscape of the Delta and the Grand Prairie. This mid-century survey reveals a region deeply tied to its river-and-rail infrastructure, with the Missouri Pacific RR and St. Louis Southwestern RR cutting through key trade centers like Stuttgart and Helena. The terrain is characterized by the distinct elevation of Crowleys Ridge and the dense wetlands preserved within the White River National Wildlife Refuge.

From the western edges of Pine Bluff to the Mississippi hills near Clarksdale, the map captures a transition from rice-farming prairies to the floodplains of the White River. Notable features include specialized infrastructure like the Stuttgart Air Base and a network of bayous, such as Bayou Meto, that supported the local drainage and irrigation essential to the cotton and rice economies of the era.