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1956 Map of Owensboro West

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Owensboro West
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1967
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1967

About this map

The Ohio River dominates this mid-century landscape, carving a wide path past Little Hurricane Island and the prominent French Island No 1. On the Kentucky side, the rising elevation of the Bon Harbor Hills overlooks the northwestern reaches of Owensboro, where the urban grid begins to give way to agricultural sloughs and ditches. This 1950s survey captures the city's western expansion, noting community landmarks like the Municipal Sport Center, the Foust Jr High Sch, and even a site for the Soap Box Derby.

Beyond the city limits, the rural character is defined by the Louisville and Nashville railroad line connecting the settlements of Griffith and Stanley. The interior is dotted with oil wells, reflecting the era's local energy production amidst a network of drainage features such as Rose Pond Ditch and Cowhide Slough. For genealogists, the map preserves the locations of rural schoolhouses like Sorgho Sch and family-named burial grounds including Arnold Cem and Lancaster Cem.