1903 Map of Tell City

About this map

The Ohio River carves a deep bend through this turn-of-the-century landscape, separating the river towns of Tell City and Troy in Indiana from Hawesville and Lewisport in Kentucky. The river corridor is a hub of turn-of-the-century transit, featuring the Southern R.R. (Cannellton Branch) and river features like Corn Island and Corn Island Slough. Inland from the floodplain, a dense network of small agricultural and church-centered communities spans the borderlands, including Knottsville, Pellville, and St. Lawrence. Local landmarks such as Spice Knob and Indian Hill rise above the drainage basins of Blackford Creek and Yellow Creek, illustrating the dissection of the plateau by numerous winding tributaries. This survey captures a moment when rural life centered around community nodes like St. Louis Ch. and the Catholic Ch., long before modern infrastructure bypassed these smaller crossroad settlements.