1949 Map of Wayland

About this map

St Francisville and the town of Wayland anchor this mid-century survey of the borderlands where the Des Moines River separates Missouri from Iowa. The landscape is defined by the winding paths of the Des Moines and Fox River, protected by extensive levee systems. In the years following the war, transportation remained central to local life, evidenced by the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific railroad crossing into Iowa at the Toll Bridge, and the Burlington Northern line running through the southern plains. Genealogists will find several distinct burial grounds, including Oakland Cem, Wolf Cem, and multiple locations of Sand Cem. The rural social fabric is further mapped through scattered country schools like Independent Sch and Jenkins Sch, and the presence of the Gun Club near the river bottoms.