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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

The Alton railroad corridor defines the development of this Missouri borderland where Ralls, Pike, and Audrain counties meet. In the mid-1940s, Vandalia serves as the primary hub, surrounded by a dense network of rural infrastructure including the Vandalia Cem and numerous family-named schools such as Madisonville Sch and Bridgewater Sch. The landscape is etched by the intricate drainage of the South Fork Spencer Creek and Peno Creek, which dictated the placement of early settlements like Frankford and Spencerburg.

Cultural landmarks are frequent across the sheet, with the Paris Road connecting disparate farming communities. Genealogists can find specific church locations like Adiel Ch and Mt Pisgah Ch, alongside nearly thirty named schoolhouses. The settlement of Curryville stands as a rail-side stop, while smaller locales like New Michigan and Farmer illustrate the dispersed nature of mid-century agricultural life in this region.