1914 Map of Madrid

About this map

The Des Moines River winds through the heart of this central Iowa landscape, carving a deep valley through the townships of Marcy, Worth, and Cass. Surveyed just before the first World War, the map reveals a dense network of rural infrastructure, particularly its rural school system. Nearly every section of land is served by a local institution, from the Centennial School in the northwest to Garden Prairie School in the east. The rail corridors of the Chicago Milwaukee and St. Paul and the Inter-Urban line define the local economy, connecting agricultural hubs like Woodward, Madrid, and Luther. The terrain transitions from the high, flat prairies of Peoples township into the intricate drainage basins of Beaver Creek and Caton Creek, illustrating the complex topography that governed early settlement patterns and road placements.