1958 Map of Springfield

About this map

Springfield serves as the primary urban hub for the Missouri Ozarks in this late-1950s survey, showing the city's significant educational and administrative importance through Southwest Missouri State College and Drury College. The regional economy is a blend of agriculture, forestry, and military presence, anchored by the expansive Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation and the Mark Twain National Forest divisions to the east. Transportation networks are well-defined, with US Highway 66 and US Highway 60 intersecting the rail lines of the St Louis-San Francisco RR. Beyond the larger towns like Bolivar, Lebanon, and Marshfield, the map documents a landscape of rural communities identified by their courthouses and cemeteries. Natural features like Bennett Springs and the winding Gasconade River highlight the drainage patterns of the Ozark plateau, while an abandoned lead and zinc mine points to the area's earlier extractive industry.