1956 Map of Ottawa South

About this map

Ottawa stands at the heart of this mid-century Kansas landscape, anchored by the campus of Ottawa University and a dense network of civic institutions ranging from Ransom Hospital to Forest Park. The Marais Des Cygnes River meanders across the northern territory, controlled by the Kiefer Dam, while the surrounding prairie is divided by the tracks of the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad. Outside the city limits, the landscape transitions into the Chippewa Hills and Sand Hills, where local life is defined by a constellation of rural schools and community centers like Wycoff Community Hall and Rock Creek Community Hall. A deep history of settlement is evident in the numerous burial grounds scattered across the townships, including the Antioch and St Johns cemeteries. The transition of the early 1980s is captured through photorevisions, showing the expansion of the Ottawa Municipal Airport and suburban development.