1943 Map of Lebanon

About this map

Lebanon serves as the central hub of this 1941 survey, where the St Louis San Francisco railroad and nascent aviation infrastructure at Lebanon Airport intersect with a landscape defined by sinkholes and river forks. The Laclede County terrain is marked by geological curiosities like Silver Mine Sink, Howell Cave, and Saltpeter Cave, reflecting the karst topography common to this region of the Ozarks. Rural life is meticulously documented through an extensive network of schoolhouses and country churches, such as Bear Thicket Sch and Hough Chapel, many associated with family-named landmarks like Singleton Ridge and Roper Cem. The Osage Fork and Gasconade River provide the primary drainage, winding through a patchwork of small communities including Orla, Morgan, and Oakland. This survey captures the transition from a traditional agrarian economy to a more modern transit network as the Second World War began.