1945 Map of Rusk

About this map

Summerfield and Gallatin serve as northern anchors for this mid-century view of Cherokee County, where the iron-ore rich hills of East Texas meet the agricultural bottomlands of Mud Creek. The landscape is defined by the intersection of the Missouri Pacific and Southern Pacific railroads, which facilitated the movement of timber and produce from settlements like Dialville and Ponta. In the countryside, a dense network of community centers such as Sweet Union Ch, Afton Grove Sch, and Lyra Chapel reveals the social fabric of rural life during the 1940s. Genealogists will find particular value in the clearly marked family and community burial grounds, including McDonald Cem and the Myrtle Springs Cem. The topography is punctuated by prominent landmarks like Acker Mtn and the winding Caney Creek, illustrating the transition from wooded uplands to the valley of the Angelina River.