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1936 Map of McGehee

Name: 1936 Topographic Map of McGehee
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1937
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1937

About this map

The Missouri Pacific rail lines anchor the agricultural and commercial activity of the Arkansas Delta in this mid-1930s survey. The town of Mcgehee emerges as a significant regional hub at the junction of the Missouri Pacific M H & L Division and multiple state highways. To the south, Dermott shows a dense street grid where the railroad meets Bayou Bartholomew. The landscape is defined by the winding paths of Bayou Macon and Crooked Bayou, which snake across the county lines of Desha, Drew, and Chicot.

Evidence of much earlier habitation appears in the northeast corner at the Indian Mounds, while contemporary rural life is marked by numerous country churches such as Loggy Bayou Church, Isaac Chapel, and Providence Church. The map details an extensive network of levees and drainage canals, illustrating the complex water management required for the delta's plantation economy between the brakes and sloughs like Tillar Brake and Black Pond Slough.