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1886 Map of Jefferson City

Name: 1886 Topographic Map of Jefferson City
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1886
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1886

About this map

Jefferson City and Columbia anchor this late-19th-century landscape, connected by a maturing network of rail and river commerce. The Missouri River bisects the region, its channel surveyed in detail just years prior by the Engineer Corps U.S. Army. Along its banks, small landings and river towns like Providence, Nashville, and Marion serve as local hubs, while inland settlements such as Ashland and New Bloomfield mark the agricultural heart of Boone and Cole counties.

Industrial development is visible through the reach of the Missouri Pacific Railroad following the river's southern bank, and the Chicago and Alton Railroad cutting across Round Prairie. From the confluence of the Missouri River and the river at Osage City to the smaller drainage of Bonne Femme Creek, the map provides a precise view of Missouri's capital region during a period of significant expansion before the turn of the century.