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1955 Map of Manhattan

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Manhattan
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1964
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1964

About this map

The Fort Riley Military Reservation dominates the landscape at the confluence of the Republican River and Smoky Hills in the mid-1950s. This survey records a period of significant hydraulic engineering, showcasing the early presence of the Tuttle Creek Reservoir and the Milford Lake area, complete with the Tuttle Creek Dam and Milford Dam. These massive water projects transformed the drainage of the Blue River and Republican River, fundamentally altering the terrain near Manhattan and Junction City.

Academic and spiritual centers like Kansas State University and St. Joseph Church are clearly marked, alongside the extensive rail network of the Union Pacific RR and Santa Fe RR that historically linked these farming communities. From the smaller outposts of Baileyville and Munden to the larger centers of Concordia and Belleville, the map provides a detailed record of the road and rail infrastructure that defined the North Central Kansas economy before the full expansion of the Interstate system.