Loading map...

1983 Map of Poplar Bluff

Name: 1983 Topographic Map of Poplar Bluff
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1983
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1983

About this map

The Black River and Current River define the hydraulic character of this Ozark foothills landscape, where the heavy timber of the Mark Twain National Forest meets the engineered drainage of the Missouri Bootheel. The transition from the rugged western ridges to the flat eastern plains is marked by an extensive network of canals, including Mingo Ditch and numerous numbered channels like Ditch No 1 and Ditch No 30. These efforts to reclaim the bottomlands for agriculture are punctuated by the massive Wappapello Lake and the preserved swamplands of the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge.

Railroad activity remains central to the region's layout, with the Missouri Pacific RR and St Louis Southwestern RR serving the hubs of Poplar Bluff and Doniphan. Local history is preserved in smaller rural nodes such as Wilhelmina Church and Crites Corner Church, alongside family landmarks like Melville Ridge and Harris Ridge. This survey documents a period of significant conservation and water management, balancing the industrial reach of the timber and rail lines with state forests and wildlife areas.