2018 Map of Missouri Valley NW

About this map

The settlement of Magnolia and the nearby village of Calhoun anchor this study of the western Iowa landscape, where the abrupt transition from the Loess Hills to the Missouri River floodplain is clearly defined. The terrain is bifurcated by the winding path of Ia 183, which follows the base of the bluffs. To the east, the deeply eroded hills are marked by a dense network of family-named roads and trails, including Loess Hills Trl and Melody Oaks Trl, while the western flats are dominated by an engineered drainage system. This hydraulic infrastructure, featuring the E Soldier Ditch, Nelson Ditch, and Modale Ditch, illustrates the extensive 20th-century efforts to reclaim the bottomlands for agriculture. Genealogists will find the exact locations of Magnolia Cem and Calhoun Cem preserved alongside the natural courses of Allen Creek and Steer Creek.