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1914 Map of Smithville

Name: 1914 Topographic Map of Smithville
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1950
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1950

About this map

The Platte River and its major tributary, the Little Platte River, dominate this Missouri landscape, which is marked by a complex network of early 20th-century transportation and small rural settlements. This 1914 survey, updated with 1949 highway data, documents a transition in regional travel as the Interstate Trail and emerging roads began to supersede the railroad corridors. Several rail lines are already noted as defunct by this era, including the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific and the Quincy Omaha and Kansas City.

Local industry and community life are grounded in landmarks like Hixson Mill and Ross Mills, alongside a remarkably dense distribution of rural schoolhouses such as Swamp School, Lone Star School, and Styne School. The map captures the importance of river crossings, specifically naming Junction Bridge and Skinner Bridge. These details provide a unique view of Smithville, Edgerton, and Nashua before modern suburban expansion fundamentally altered the Clay and Platte County borders.