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1955 Map of Wakarusa

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Wakarusa
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1956
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1956

About this map

Forbes Air Force Base dominates the central landscape south of Topeka, illustrating the significant military footprint in Shawnee County during the mid-1950s. The map captures a mix of evolving infrastructure and rural tradition, featuring the then-new Kansas Turnpike slicing through the western section. Traces of the region's earlier heritage are visible in the north, where the Potawatomi Indian Reservation Boundary is clearly marked.

Evidence of shifting rural populations is found in the scattered schools noted as out of use, such as Clover Hill Sch (Abandoned) and Harrison Sch (Abandoned). Along the Wakarusa River, the settlement of Wakarusa sits at a junction of the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad, while several family and community burial grounds, including Simerwell Cem and Yocum Cem, provide vital touchpoints for genealogical research in this Kansas heartland.