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1947 Map of Lawrence

Name: 1947 Topographic Map of Lawrence
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1954
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1954

About this map

Kansas City and the surrounding borderlands of eastern Kansas and western Missouri appear in this mid-century compilation, showing a region defined by its dense river networks and major transportation corridors. The wide valley of the Kansas River anchors the northern section, where Topeka and Lawrence serve as primary hubs. Southward, the landscape shifts into the drainage basins of the Marais des Cygnes River and South Grand River, revealing a pattern of smaller agrarian settlements like Appleton City and Schell City.

Military and civil infrastructure is well-established by this era, including the Olathe Navy installation and a sophisticated rail web featuring the At&SF RR and Up RR. For the local historian, the map preserves the alignment of regional water features such as the Wakarusa River and the topography surrounding Blue Mound, capturing the character of the Missouri-Kansas frontier before the expansion of the modern interstate system and large-scale suburban development changed the rural landscape.