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1937 Map of New Douglas

Name: 1937 Topographic Map of New Douglas
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1937
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1937

About this map

New Douglas and Sorento anchor a landscape defined by small farming hamlets and a dense network of country schools during the late 1930s. This survey, conducted by engineers including Glenn S. Smith, reveals a rural society built around local education, with dozens of family and community schools such as Hickory Grove Sch, Wider Range Sch, and Steinkoenig Sch scattered across the township lines. The topography is split by the meandering Shoal Creek and its tributaries, which dictate the winding paths of rural roads away from the straight tracks of the St Louis and Chicago New York railroad line.

Genealogists will find significant value in the numerous burial grounds documented, from Bethel Cem in the north to the Hug Cem near Baden Baden. The presence of the Airway Beacon near Old Ripley signals the era's advancing infrastructure, contrasting with the traditional settlement patterns found at Alhambra and Grant Fork. Further south, the map details the early alignments of State Highway No 40 passing through Pocahontas, providing a clear look at the region's transition into the automobile age.