1923 Map of Jonesboro

About this map

The Mississippi River creates a dynamic border between Illinois and Missouri, anchoring a landscape where the river’s alluvial plains meet the sharp relief of the Shawnee hills. In the early 1920s, the twin settlements of Jonesboro and Anna served as the regional hub, connected to the wider world via the Mobile and Ohio Railroad and the Illinois Central. The mapping reveals a dense network of rural education and faith, featuring numerous country schools like Lockard Chapel School and Big Barn School, alongside established congregations at Casper Church and Ebenezer Church. West of the bluffs, the bottomlands near McClure and East Cape Girardeau are defined by intricate waterways such as Clear Creek and Edmondson Slough, reflecting a precarious relationship with the shifting river channel and the seasonal flooding of Devils Island.