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1967 Map of Olmsted

Name: 1967 Topographic Map of Olmsted
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1968
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1968

About this map

The Ohio River dominates this mid-century survey, dividing Pulaski County, Illinois, from Ballard County, Kentucky. This stretch of the river is defined by the Grand Chain reefs and the critical maritime operations at Lock and Dam No 53, which managed river traffic during this era. The Illinois side is a landscape of established settlements and small rural communities like Olmsted and Grand Chain, connected by the New York Central railroad. Numerous small family and community cemeteries, such as Masonic Cem and Caledonia Campground Cem, are scattered across the bluffs, offering valuable records for local genealogy.

Across the river in Kentucky, the terrain shifts to the low-lying Barlow Bottoms and the Oscar Waterfowl Management Area. This side of the river is a complex network of sloughs and lakes, including Shelby Lake and Mitchell Lake, illustrating the river's historical flood patterns before more modern control measures. The map also captures specialized land uses of the period, from the Fish Hatchery near Oscar to a Claypit and several gravel pits, indicating the local industrial activity focused on natural resource extraction.