Loading map...

1940 Map of Marmaduke

Name: 1940 Topographic Map of Marmaduke
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1946
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1946

About this map

The St Francis River forms a complex boundary between Arkansas and Missouri, defining a landscape of islands, sloughs, and an extensive network of drainage ditches. This 1940s-era survey reveals the heavy engineering of the lowlands, where St Louis Ditch, Pemiscot Ditch, and Seneca Ditch were cut to manage the wet terrain. The map records several historical meander lines from 1845, 1847, and 1848, showing how the river's path once shifted through areas like Bone Island and Indian Hill Island.

Regional hubs like Paragould and Marmaduke are shown alongside smaller vanished locales such as Noxburn and Bertig. For genealogists, the map is remarkably dense with specific family-named landmarks and rural institutions, including Old Liberty Ch & Cem, Cottman Sch & Ch, and Walls Chapel Sch. These sites, along with numerous isolated schools like Lone Holly Sch and Tondsville Sch, provide a detailed look at the social fabric of Greene and Clay counties before mid-century consolidation.