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1892 Map of Meade

Name: 1892 Topographic Map of Meade
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1897
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1897

About this map

Meade serves as the central hub of this High Plains landscape, situated at the junction where Crooked Creek turns south through the township of Meade Center. The arrival of the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific Railroad significantly influenced the settlement pattern of the 1890s, connecting the nascent towns of Fowler and Minneola across the northern prairie. To the south, the terrain breaks into more complex drainage systems as numerous tributaries, including Sand Creek and Johnson Creek, feed into the lower reaches of the basin.

Genealogists and local historians can trace early outposts like Jasper, Odee, and Shorts, many of which were established along the reliable water sources of the Cimarron River or its contributing branches. The survey captures a moment of transition from open range to established township boundaries, revealing the locations of isolated rural post offices and small communities that defined southwestern Kansas at the end of the nineteenth century.