Loading map...

1894 Map of Kinsley

Name: 1894 Topographic Map of Kinsley
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1949
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1949

About this map

Arkansas River waters and the expanding iron rails of the late nineteenth century define this portion of southwest Kansas. This 1889 survey captures the development of Kinsley and Greensburg as regional hubs during a period of rapid settlement. The landscape is marked by the distinct diagonal paths of major transit lines, including the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in the north and the Chicago Kansas and Western Railroad in the south.

Smaller outposts like Lewis, Belpre, and Haviland appear as early station points along these routes, while the sandy terrain around Rattlesnake Creek creates a complex network of dunes and depressions between the river valley and the open prairie. The map illustrates the structured township system and the early growth of communities such as Mullinville and Wellsford before the full maturation of the Great Plains wheat belt.