Loading map...

1958 Map of Neutral

Name: 1958 Topographic Map of Neutral
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

Mining operations and industrial waste define the southern landscape of this Cherokee County quadrangle during the late 1950s. The southern border, particularly near Treece, is heavily marked by extensive Tailings and numerous Mine sites, illustrating the intensity of the Tri-State district's lead and zinc extraction. While the north remains largely agricultural around the community of Neutral, the land transformation is evident where Strip Mine excavations follow the path of Bitter Creek.

Family and community history are preserved in several rural burial grounds including Brush Creek Cem, Beasly Cem, and the Baxter Springs Cemetery. Transport networks are anchored by the ST Louis San Francisco and the Oklahoma Northeast railroads, which served the heavy industrial needs of the era. Prominent landmarks such as Blue Mound and the nearby Blue Mound Ch provide geographic orientation in a region where natural drainage like Brush Creek and Willow Creek was often altered by surface mining activity.