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1938 Map of Murphysboro

Name: 1938 Topographic Map of Murphysboro
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1958
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

Murphysboro serves as the focal point of this 1930s landscape, situated at the bend of the Big Muddy River where the Southern and Mobile and Ohio rail lines converge. The map illustrates a densely settled rural landscape defined by an intricate network of country schools like Sugar Hill School and Cox Prairie School, and community gathering points such as Grange Hall. To the west, the elevation rises toward Fountain Bluff, while the central and eastern sections are marked by smaller railroad stops including Vergennes, Oraville, and Texas Junction.

The topography transitions from the alluvial bottomlands of Beaucoup Creek to the undulating hills of the Kinkaid and Levan townships. Genealogists will find significant value in the distribution of family-named landmarks and rural houses of worship, including Sutter Church and Mt Joy Church. This survey, revised in 1938 from 1908 fieldwork, documents the persistence of small-scale agrarian centers just before the acceleration of mid-century infrastructure changes.