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1894 Map of Joplin

Name: 1894 Topographic Map of Joplin
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1901
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1901

About this map

The tri-state borderlands of Kansas, Missouri, and the Indian Territory converge in this 1884 survey, capturing the region's rapid industrialization through its dense rail network and burgeoning mining towns. Pittsburg and Joplin emerge as primary hubs, connected by a complex web of lines including the Kansas City Fort Scott and Gulf Railroad and the St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad. The landscape is etched with local history, from the Ozark terrain in the northeast to the various townships like Sheridan, Pleasant View, and Spring Valley.

Smaller settlements such as Weir, Scammon, and Galena dot the map, often situated near water bodies like Shoal Creek or Cow Creek. This edition, published in 1894 and reprinted in 1901, provides an exacting look at the early infrastructure that supported the lead and zinc mining era before many of these small railway junctions and mining camps evolved or faded. The inclusion of the Kansas Indian Territory boundary at the southern edge marks a significant geopolitical transition point of the late nineteenth century.