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1930 Map of Mellwood

Name: 1930 Topographic Map of Mellwood
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1930
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1930

About this map

The Mississippi River creates a complex landscape of oxbows and shifting banks along the border of Arkansas and Mississippi in this 1930 survey. The map documents the persistent struggle against the river's power, marking the locations of the Ferguson Crevasse 1912 and the Knowlton Crevasse 1913, where the levee system failed during early 20th-century floods. Extensive engineering efforts are visible through the Sunflower Revetment and Knowlton Revetment, which attempt to stabilize the channel near Knowlton and Sunflower Bend.

Rail infrastructure defines the terrestrial settlement pattern, with the Missouri Pacific railroad serving Arkansas towns like Mellwood, Lundell, and Ferguson. On the Mississippi side, Mississippi State Highway No 1 connects communities such as Deeson and Renalara through the fertile bottomlands of Coahoma County. The landscape is a network of bayous and former river channels, including Middle Bayou, Hushpuckena Creek, and the curious geometry of Laconia Circle.