1962 Map of Joplin West

About this map

Joplin anchors this early 1960s survey, showing its westward expansion toward the Kansas state line alongside a landscape deeply marked by its mining heritage. Numerous Tailings piles and old pits surround the former mining camp of Chitwood and the vicinity of Central City, reflecting the intensive lead and zinc extraction that once drove the local economy. The urban grid is dense with civic infrastructure, featuring a notable concentration of educational and religious institutions including Columbia School, McAuley High School, and the Ozark Bible College. To the south, the terrain descends toward the winding Shoal Creek, where the community of Redings Mill sits near the namesake landmark. Transportation corridors like the Missouri - Kansas - Texas Railroad and the St Louis - San Francisco Railroad define the industrial and transit patterns of the era, while extensive green spaces like Schifferdecker Park provide a recreational counterpoint to the town's industrial and residential core.