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1978 Map of Rockport

Name: 1978 Topographic Map of Rockport
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1978
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1978

About this map

The Mississippi River creates a complex system of islands and backwaters along the border of Illinois and Missouri in this late-1970s landscape. The Rockport settlement sits at the base of the eastern bluffs, where the river plain meets the higher elevations of Derry and Atlas townships. This map provides a detailed view of the extensive drainage engineering required to manage the bottomlands, including the Kiser Creek Diversion Ditch and Easley Ditch, alongside multiple settling basins designed to control siltation from the bluff-fed streams like Brown Branch.

West of the main channel, the Ted Shanks State Wildlife Management Area encompasses a labyrinth of sloughs and islands, including North Fritz Island and Ducher Island. Genealogists will find several family-named burial sites such as Morey Cem and Hornback Cem, as well as local landmarks like Stillhouse and Brewster, offering a precise record of rural Pike County land use before contemporary changes.