1950 Map of Topeka

About this map

The Kansas River divides this mid-century portrait of the Kansas state capital, illustrating a period of significant urban expansion and industrial concentration. The city’s identity as a major rail hub is evident through the convergence of the Union Pacific, Chicago Rock Island and Pacific, and Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe lines. Near the center of the city, the Capitol building and Washburn University stand as institutional anchors, while the western edge is defined by the Pottawatomie Reservation boundary and the State Hospital grounds. To the north and south, the drainage of Soldier Creek and Shunganunga Creek shapes the residential growth of North Topeka and Highland Park. This 1950 survey, with 1970 revisions, documents the transition of the local landscape from the historic Old Indian Bdy to modern infrastructure like the VA Hospital and Lake Shawnee.