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1950 Map of Mcalester

Name: 1950 Topographic Map of Mcalester
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1950
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1950

About this map

McAlester and the surrounding coal-rich Choctaw Nation country define the northwestern corner of this mid-century survey. The landscape is dominated by the complex ridgelines of the Ouachita Mountains, including the prominent Kiamichi Mountain and the distinctive Potato Hills. This era shows a robust rail-and-road network essential to the region's resource extraction and timber industries, with the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific RR and the Kansas City Southern Ry providing vital transport links through towns like Hartshorne and Wilburton.

South of the high ridges, the terrain transitions into the valley of the Kiamichi River and the vast Ouachita National Forest, where smaller settlements such as Antlers and Daisy are connected by emerging state highways. The map provides a detailed view of the borderlands between Oklahoma and Arkansas, tracing the winding courses of the Little River and the Mountain Fork before they flow south toward the Red River basin.