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1956 Map of Pacific Junction

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Pacific Junction
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1977
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1977

About this map

The Burlington Northern railroad corridors define the industrial character of this corner of Mills County, intersecting at the vital rail hub of Pacific Junction. This mid-century survey reveals the complex drainage and agricultural management of the Missouri River bottoms, where a massive levee system protects the townships of St Marys and Plattville from the shifting Missouri River. The landscape is etched with irrigation and drainage features like St Marys Ditch and the Northern Ditch, illustrating the intensive effort to reclaim and maintain these fertile lowlands for farming.

Local history and genealogy are anchored by a series of numbered rural schools and family cemeteries. From Eureka Sch No 1 in the north to Gowen Sch No 3 further south, the map documents the educational infrastructure of a disappearing era. Small, distinct burial grounds like Wait Cem and Godsey Cem are tucked into the terrain, while larger settlements like Pacific City and the edge of Glenwood show the distribution of population between the river bluffs and the floodplains.