1979 Map of Mendota

About this map

Appanoose and Putnam counties meet along the Iowa-Missouri border in this 1970s landscape, where local life follows the drainages of Shoal Creek and North Blackbird Creek. The settlement of Mendota serves as a focal point, situated near the Mendota Cemetery and the visible scarring of Strip Mines to the east. This area reveals the transition from active rail to historic memory, as the Old Railroad Grade cuts through the township of Pleasant, passing near the Boswell Cemetery. Further south in Lincoln township, the Stringtown Church and the small community of Howland mark the rural intersections. The map provides a detailed view of the terrain before modern consolidation, recording the specific locations of family cemeteries and remote creek forks like Sandy Creek that defined the early boundaries of these border communities.