1961 Map of Wathena

About this map

Wathena and the surrounding river bottoms define this landscape where the Missouri River forms a sharp, meandering boundary between Kansas and Missouri. The terrain shifts from the high, dissected bluffs of Burr Oak and Washington townships to the expansive, low-lying alluvial plains of French Bottom and Gladden Bottom. This 1961 survey, updated with 1972 aerial revisions, documents a critical transportation corridor where the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific and Union Pacific railroads converge. The map preserves the locations of several rural institutions, including Columbus Sch and Lehman Sch, alongside numerous family-named cemeteries like Moskau Cem and Cowger Cem. The presence of Rosecrans Memorial Airport and Browning Lake highlights the modern development of the river flats south of the main Missouri channel.