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1894 Map of Sedalia

Name: 1894 Topographic Map of Sedalia
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1916
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1916

About this map

Sedalia serves as the focal point of this Central Missouri landscape, documented here as a significant regional railroad hub during the late nineteenth century. The map illustrates a complex network of steel radiating from the city, including the Missouri Pacific Railroad and its Main Line, alongside the Texas and Sedalia Railroad. These transit corridors shaped the growth of surrounding prairie settlements like Houstonia, Hughesville, and Smithton.

Beyond the tracks, the terrain transitions into the drainages of Flat Creek and Black Water Creek. Local life is anchored by landmarks such as Mc Allister Springs and the small communities of Greenridge, Otterville, and Dresden. The surveying of township divisions and boundary lines between Saline, Pettis, and Cooper counties reveals a settled agricultural society defined by its rail-and-river economy just before the turn of the century.