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1956 Map of Lawrence

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Lawrence
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1967
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1967

About this map

Forbes AFB and Sunflower Ordnance Works stand as prominent markers of the Cold War military landscape in this mid-century survey of eastern Kansas and western Missouri. The mapping captures a period of significant hydraulic engineering, showing the Pomona Reservoir and John Redmond Res altering the natural flow of the Marais des Cygnes River and Neosho River. The region’s transportation evolution is evident as newly constructed corridors like Interstate 70 begin to parallel the historic routes of the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe RR and Missouri Pacific RR.

From the growing suburbs of Overland Park to the established streets of Lawrence and Ottawa, the map details a transition from traditional river-valley settlement to post-war expansion. Geographic landmarks like Walley Mound and Summers Mound provide vertical relief against the broad drainage basins of the Wakarusa River and Pottawatomie Creek, offering a clear view of the terrain before later 20th-century development further reshaped the border counties.