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1949 Map of Meramec Spring

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Meramec Spring
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1963
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1963

About this map

St James serves as a northern anchor for this Ozark landscape, where the St Louis San Francisco railroad and U.S. 66 cut through the hills of Phelps and Crawford counties. The map documents a period when rural education was highly localized, evidenced by dozens of district schools like Flat Grove School, Wolfe School, and Spring Hill School. A significant extractive economy is visible in the southeastern corner, where iron or mineral deposits are marked by several banks and mines, including Kelley Bank, Nine Sixteen Bank, and the Bronson Mine.

The central portion of the sheet is dominated by the meandering Meramec River and its major tributary, the Dry Fork. These waterways were vital for movement before modern bridging was universal, as shown by named crossings such as Steelville Ford and Morrison Ford. From the high point at Zion Hill to the springs and hollows, the map provides a clear picture of the mid-century transition from isolated farming hamlets like Elk Prairie and Lecoma toward a more integrated highway-and-rail corridor.