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1944 Map of Van Buren

Name: 1944 Topographic Map of Van Buren
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1960
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

The Current River snakes through the northeast corner of this territory, where the St Louis San Francisco railroad connects the riverside settlement of Chicopee to the village of Fremont. Much of the landscape is defined by the dense topography of the Ozarks, illustrated here during the mid-1940s before modern developments reshaped the local road network. The map reveals a rural economy centered on small, dispersed communities and mountain lookouts like Fremont Lookout and Eagle Lookout.

Genealogists will find a wealth of local landmarks, including several country schools such as Kinnard Sch and Bristoll Sch, and remote burial grounds like Pleasant Site Cem. Large tracts are dedicated to conservation, notably the Big Spring State Park along the river and the expansive Wilderness State Game Refuge to the south. Small upland ponds like Cupola Pond and Cotham Pond dot the ridges between Pike Creek and Little Barren Creek, marking a landscape where water sources dictated the placement of homesteads.