1943 Map of Red Oak

About this map

The Sans Bois Mountains and the northern reaches of the Ouachita National Forest define the rugged topography of this 1943 survey of eastern Oklahoma. The map documents a landscape deeply shaped by the St. Louis San Francisco and Rock Island and Pacific railroads, which facilitated the growth of towns like Red Oak, Talihina, and Panola. The survey was conducted just before the United States entered World War II, capturing the rural community structure at a time when small school districts like Dunlap Center Sch and Salonia Sch were still the social hubs of the ridges and valleys.