1947 Map of Wolf Lake

About this map

Mississippi River floodplains and the steep ridges of the Shawnee National Forest define this 1947 landscape at the intersection of Union and Jackson counties. The terrain is divided between the productive bottomlands of Grand Tower Island and the high elevations of Grassy Knob and McGee Hill. Transport and commerce follow the river’s edge, with the Illinois Central Railroad and Missouri Pacific Railroad threading through riverfront settlements like Aldridge and La Rue. Numerous rural schools, including Macedonia Sch and Beech Grove School, are scattered across the quadrangle, serving small farming communities. The presence of Otter Pond, Running Lake, and Wolf Lake illustrates the complex hydrology of the area where the Big Muddy River and Ditch systems manage drainage beneath the bluff line.