1972 Map of Polk City

About this map

Polk City sits at the heart of a transforming Central Iowa landscape during the early 1970s, where traditional prairie townships meet major water engineering projects. To the south, the Des Moines River valley is dominated by the emergence of Saylorville Lake, with a Barrier Dam Under Constr indicating the massive scale of contemporary flood control and recreation development. This shift is mirrored by the presence of Big Creek Lake to the west. Northward, the map preserves the established agrarian and rail patterns of the region, anchored by the town of Sheldahl and the Chicago and North Western railroad line. Local history is deeply embedded in the land through numerous rural burying grounds, including Slater Cem, Sheldahl Cem, and Lincoln Cem, alongside smaller nodes like Crocker and Polk City Junction that speak to the area's older transportation network.