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1945 Map of Vandalia

Name: 1945 Topographic Map of Vandalia
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1945
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1945

About this map

Vandalia serves as the primary rail hub on this 1945 survey, situated at the junction of the Chicago and Alton RR and several local routes. The landscape transitions from the developed town grid of Vandalia to the dissected hills of northeastern Missouri, where smaller communities like Spencerburg, Curryville, and Madisonville anchor the surrounding rural sections. The importance of the regional rail network is further evidenced by the St Louis and Hannibal RR cutting through the northern reaches near Frankford.

Rural life is meticulously documented through a dense network of country schoolhouses and churches that served as the social fabric of Audrain, Pike, and Ralls Counties. Features such as the New Harmony Ch, Prairie Lane Sch, and Vandalia Cem provide specific points of interest for genealogical research. The terrain is defined by the winding paths of Spencer Creek, Peno Creek, and Lick Creek, which carved the valleys that dictated the placement of early settlements and roads like the Scenic Highway.