1959 Map of Mount Ida

About this map

The Ouachita River winds through the heart of Montgomery County, captured here as the landscape was transitioning with the creation of Lake Ouachita. The map shows a system of controlled inundation areas, highlighting where the river's valley was becoming a reservoir. The county seat of Mount Ida serves as a central hub, while smaller communities like Sims, Story, and Pencil Bluff dot the surrounding forest. This 1950s survey documents the rugged Ouachita Mountains before modern development, marking fire lookouts like the Muddy Mountain Lookout Tower and Vanderslice Lookout Tower. Genealogists will find numerous family and community landmarks, including Crystal Hill Ch and several burial grounds such as Macedonia Cem and Stanley Cem, which provide a record of local settlement patterns within the Ouachita National Forest.