Loading map...

1957 Map of Poplar Bluff

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of Poplar Bluff
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1979
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1979

About this map

The Ozark Escarpment divides this region where the rugged foothills of the Ozark Mountains meet the fertile lowlands of the Mississippi embayment. Centered on Poplar Bluff, the map documents a complex landscape of managed timberlands within the Mark Twain National Forest and the significant hydrological engineering of Wappapello Lake. The drainage of the Mingo Swamp into the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge illustrates the transition from wild wetlands to the productive agricultural fields of the Missouri Bootheel and Northeast Arkansas.

Transportation networks define the settlement patterns, with the Missouri Pacific Railroad and St Louis-San Francisco Railway threading through towns like Pocahontas and Paragould. The presence of Big Spring State Park and Sam A Baker State Park highlights the early mid-century focus on conservation and recreation along the pristine Current River and Black River corridors, preserving the area's natural springs and river systems amidst ongoing regional development.