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1947 Map of Lavaca

Name: 1947 Topographic Map of Lavaca
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1972
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1972

About this map

The Arkansas River serves as the dominant geographic feature of this area, marked by the extensive Ozark Reservoir and its meandering backwaters. In the late 1940s, the landscape south of the river shows a transition from the structured street grid of Lavaca to the sprawling hills of the Fort Smith Military Reservation, which occupies much of the southern quadrangle. This military land is interspersed with high points like Butlers Knob and Christmas Knob, while the northern industrial activity is evidenced by a cluster of strip mines near the Missouri Pacific railroad tracks.

Rural life is anchored by numerous small community markers, including Mosark Church and several family or local burial grounds such as Red Oak Cemetery and Mayberry Cemetery. The map also captures the path of the Old Military Road, illustrating how early transportation routes persisted alongside the newer Fort Smith Boulevard. To the southeast, the settlement at Bloomer remains a focal point with its own Bloomer School and nearby Morris Cemetery.