1955 Map of Wakarusa

About this map

The Forbes Field military installation and its associated airfield dominate the landscape south of Topeka, illustrating the intersection of Cold War-era aviation and Kansas prairie. The expansion of residential areas is visible through purple-tinted revisions, showing growth in Cullen Village and developments near Pauline. Outside the urbanizing core, the land maintains a rural character defined by the winding Wakarusa River and numerous family-named burial grounds like Foster Cem and Yocum Cem. To the northwest, the Potawatomi Indian Reservation Boundary marks a significant historical jurisdictional line. Transportation networks are deeply integrated into the terrain, from the Kansas Toll Road to the tracks of the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad, which parallels the river and serves the smaller settlement of Wakarusa.