Mississippi River Survey Maps from Ball State University Libraries

Follow the River:  Mississippi River Maps Available from Ball State University Libraries

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) has added a set of Mississippi River maps to the Digital Media Repository (DMR).  This collection provides online access to a set of twelve maps of the Mississippi River including maps of the river streams and channels from Cairo, Illinois to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  The maps were published by the U.S. Army War College in 1941.

The twelve maps linked together form the whole of the river (see photograph above).  Users can view the changes in the course of the river over time.  The river course changes are color-coded based on the date of the survey:  Some of the maps include surveys from 1765, 1820-1830, 1881-1893; all of the maps include surveys from 1930-1932.

The Digital MediaRepository allows users to access and download files for research and learning.  For more information about using the DMR, please contact the Archives and Special Collections at 765-285-5078.