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1972 Map of Open Lake

Name: 1972 Topographic Map of Open Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1983
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1983

About this map

The Mississippi River creates a dynamic border between Tennessee and Arkansas in this 1970s landscape, defined by shifting channels and extensive bottomland. The Anderson-Tully State Wildlife Management Area dominates the eastern bank, preserving a network of sloughs and backwaters including Open Lake, Swan Lake, and Grassy Lake. This environment was shaped by the meandering nature of the Middle Fork Forked Deer River, which joins the main channel near Forked Deer Island.

Local settlement patterns are visible at the periphery of the wetlands, with small communities like Tomato on the Arkansas side and Lightfoot to the south. Genealogists can identify significant local landmarks such as Ashport Ch and its accompanying Ashport Cem, while the interior marshes are mapped through features like Coker Slough and Rush Slough, illustrating the hydrological complexity of the Mississippi floodplain.