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1952 Map of Memphis

Name: 1952 Topographic Map of Memphis
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1953
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1953

About this map

The Belle River meanders through the heart of this rural landscape, defining the topography near the St Clair Co Macomb Co line. In the early 1950s, this area remained largely agrarian, anchored by the settlement of Memphis in the southeast and smaller clusters like Riley Center and Tallmadge. The survey reflects a decentralized community structure, where numerous local schoolhouses such as O'Connor Sch, Reil Sch, and Bywater Sch served the surrounding farmsteads along a grid of section roads.

Transportation is dominated by the Grand Trunk railroad corridor passing through Emmett in the north, while the southern reaches near Shaver are marked by a complex network of agricultural drainage, including the Cowhy Drain and Smith Drain. This mapping captures the region just before the significant expansion of suburban infrastructure, preserving the locations of family-named landmarks and historical property divisions such as Perry Sch and the Memphis Cem.