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1938 Map of Redbird

Name: 1938 Topographic Map of Redbird
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1938
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1938

About this map

Lanes Prairie and the winding course of the Bourbeuse River anchor this late 1930s landscape across the borderlands of Phelps, Maries, and Gasconade Counties. The southern edge of the map is defined by the St Louis San Francisco railroad corridor, where the town of St James serves as a regional hub featuring the St James Hospital and the Soldiers Home. This era shows a high density of rural infrastructure, with numerous country schools like Groverdale Sch and Flag Spring Sch serving isolated agricultural communities.

Industrial activity is noted at the Stockton Mine in the north, while river travel remains evident through named crossings like Sewell Ford and Mt Pleasant Ford. Family history is deeply rooted here, preserved in dozens of small burial grounds such as Moreland Cem and Finnell Cem. The map illustrates a rural Missouri Ozarks economy transitioning from traditional river-and-prairie life toward a more connected rail-and-road network.