1948 Map of Ware

About this map

The Mississippi River serves as the central artery for this riverfront landscape, dividing Union County, Illinois, from Cape Girardeau County, Missouri. In this post-war era, the floodplain is a complex network of levees, drainage ditches like the Running Lake Ditch, and prominent towheads such as Vancill Towhead and Swiftsure Towhead. This map captures a moment when rural river life was still anchored by numerous small schoolhouses and landings. Inland from the banks, the settlement at Ware acts as a junction for the Illinois Central and Missouri Pacific railroads, which parallel the river's eastern shore. To the west, the Missouri side reveals more varied topography, with the community of Egypt Mills and the winding Flora Creek tucked into the bluffs, while the St Louis San Francisco rail line traces the Missouri riverbank through Moccasin Springs.