1940 Map of Red Oak

About this map

The Sans Bois Mountains and Winding Stair Mountain dominate this landscape on the border of Latimer and Le Flore counties. At the turn of the 1940s, the region was defined by its dual railroad corridors: the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific runs through the northern valley near Red Oak, while the St Louis San Francisco serves the southern communities like Talihina. This era shows a distributed network of rural education, with localized schools such as Boggy Sch, Denmon Sch, and Hulsey Prairie Sch serving scattered valley settlements. The presence of the State Sanitorium and US Hospital near Talihina marks the town as a significant regional center for healthcare during this period. Extensive water networks, including Fourche Maline and the Kiamichi River, drain the high ridges of the Ouachita National Forest.