1974 Map of Kirksville NE

About this map

The growing city of Kirksville anchors this mid-1970s orthophotograph, providing a unique overhead perspective on the urban grid and the surrounding agricultural landscape of Adair County. Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the map uses rectified aerial imagery from April 1974 to show the precise expansion of residential neighborhoods and industrial areas. Unlike traditional topographic maps that use symbols, this orthophotograph reveals the actual density of forest cover, the orientation of individual farmsteads, and the specific footprint of the built environment. Researchers can trace the development of the road network and the relationship between the central city and the woodlots and fields that characterize the northern Missouri countryside during this era.