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1938 Map of Plainview

Name: 1938 Topographic Map of Plainview
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1938
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1938

About this map

Plainview serves as the primary hub of this landscape, situated at the junction of the Chicago and North Western railroad and local transport routes. The 1934 survey highlights a highly developed network of rural education, with dozens of family-named and numbered schoolhouses such as Harlan Sch, Melindy Sch, and Six Oaks Sch dotting the township grids. These structures, along with the Wabasha County Fair Grounds, reflect the social and civic organization of the pre-war period.

The topography is defined by the deep, winding valleys of the Whitewater River and its various forks, carving through the bluffs toward Whitewater State Park. Low-lying settlements like Elba and Fairwater are tucked into these river bends, while the high ground is dominated by ridges like Rattlesnake Ridge and Hoosier Ridge. This physical contrast between the flat upland farms and the complex drainage systems of Snake Creek and Beaver Creek dictated the placement of early cemeteries like Oakwood Cem and the small rural crossroads of Kingsley Corner.