1948 Map of Wolf Lake

About this map

The Mississippi River and its intricate floodplain dominate this 1948 survey, where the river serves as the state boundary between Missouri and Illinois. The landscape is a study in early mid-century transport and flood control, featuring extensive levee systems protecting settlements like Grand Tower and Wolf Lake from the Tower Island Chute and Big Bayou. Industry and movement are defined by the Illinois Central and Missouri Pacific railroads, which parallel the river and the Pine Hills escarpment. To the east, the rugged topography of the Shawnee National Forest rises sharply from the bottomlands, dotted with small rural landmarks like Galilee Ch and Macedonia Sch. This map documents a period before modern river channelization significantly altered these backwater systems, preserving the locations of riverfront landings like Bennett Landing and Kings Ferry.