1971 Map of New Madrid

About this map

New Madrid anchors this riverfront landscape at a critical bend in the Mississippi River, where the town's grid meets the shifting channels of Morrison Chute and Morrison Towhead. The map reveals a complex interface between agricultural lowlands and the river’s hydrological influence, evidenced by the extensive levee systems and drainage features like St Johns Bayou. This 1970s-era documentation, updated with photorevisions in the early 1980s, captures the region's deep historical layers through numerous family and community cemeteries, including St Marys Cem, Dawson Cem, and Mounds Cem. The transportation network is defined by the St Louis Southwestern railroad and the expansion of modern highways, illustrated by Interchange 44 and Interchange 40 near Marston. Cultural landmarks such as a State Historic Site and an Indian Mound reflect the long-standing human presence in this flood-prone Missouri Bootheel region.