1914 Map of Smithville

About this map

The Platte River and its meandering tributary, the Little Platte River, dominate this early twentieth-century landscape north of Kansas City. Settlement patterns follow the river valleys and the expanding rail network, with Smithville serving as a significant junction point. The map reveals a dense network of rural infrastructure, including a remarkable concentration of country schoolhouses like Lone Star School, Styne School, and Buckeye School, which anchored local communities before the era of school consolidation.