1956 Map of Kansas City

About this map

The Missouri River and Kansas River define the industrial and agricultural corridors of this mid-century survey, anchoring the major hubs of Kansas City, Topeka, and Saint Joseph. The landscape reveals a complex network of transportation and government land use, from the sprawling Fort Leavenworth Military Reservation and Kansas State Penitentiary to the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant east of Independence. This era shows the region in transition, with the expansion of the interstate system including I-70 and I-35 beginning to overlay the established rail lines of the Union Pacific RR and Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe RR. Water management is prominent through the massive Perry Reservoir and smaller recreational sites like Leavenworth County State Park, while the northern reaches maintain a rural character across the Sac and Fox-Iowa Indian Reservation and Kickapoo Indian Reservation.