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1958 Map of Potter

Name: 1958 Topographic Map of Potter
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1963
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1963

About this map

Wilhelmina State Park crowns the high ridges of Rich Mountain, where the Rich Mountain Lookout Tower stands as a sentinel over the Ouachita National Forest. This 1950s survey documents a landscape defined by the winding route of the Kansas City Southern railroad, which threads through the mountain gaps to serve small communities like Eagleton and Potter. The presence of numerous small cemeteries and rural churches, such as Mt Gillian Cem, Stinett Cem, and Center Point Ch, indicates a dispersed but established upland society centered on family landmarks and mountain faith.

Water plays a critical role in the orientation of this terrain, from the Mountain Fork River to the newly created Lake Wilhelmina and the Boy Scout facility at Camp Pioneer. The map details a transition from industrial features like the Quarry and Gravel Pit near Potter Junction to the preserved wilderness along Skyline Drive. Local history researchers will find significant value in the exact placement of vanished school sites like Merren and the early settlements of Zafra and Fogel along the Oklahoma-Arkansas border.