Loading map...

1956 Map of Lawrence

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Lawrence
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1976
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1976

About this map

The Kansas River corridor anchors this regional survey, connecting the growing urban centers of Topeka and Lawrence with the western reaches of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Compiled in the mid-1950s and revised in 1974, the landscape reveals a transition from industrial and military activity to modern water management. Significant infrastructure projects like the Clinton Lake and Pomona Lake reservoirs appear alongside major Cold War-era installations, including Forbes AFB and the Sunflower Ordnance Works.

Railroad networks such as the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe RR and Missouri Pacific RR crisscross the eastern Kansas and western Missouri border, serving towns like Ottawa, Osawatomie, and Harrisonville. The map also captures topographic markers like Valley Mound and Graves Mound, providing a clear view of the Flint Hills periphery and the numerous strip mines and quarries that once dotted the countryside south of the river valleys.