Aerial Photographs : Home

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Local libraries with aerial photograph collections

• The MU Geology Library has 8"x10" black-and white aerial stereo photographs, primarily of rural areas in northwest Missouri, produced by the US Department of Agriculture (and/or predecessor agencies) between 1938 and 1965.  Missouri counties include Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Carroll, Jackson and Lafayette.  Library use only.  Contact for further details.
• State Historical Society of Missouri has a collection of aerial photos dating from 1930s-1960s.
• The Missouri State University Library in Springfield hosts collections of aerial photographs for two southwest Missouri counties:
  • Christian County, 1930s-1950s
  • Greene County, 1930s-1990s

 Government-based sources for aerial photographs

• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
  • Aerial Photographs from US Geological Survey
  • EROS Data Center single frame records.  Over 6.4 million available.
  • National Aerial Photo Program (NAPP)
  • Declassified Intelligence Satellite photos, 1959-1980.  Nearly one million available.
     
• National Archives
  • Cartographic and Architectural Section holds millions of US Dept of Agriculture aerial photos dating from 1935-1954, covering about 90% of the contiguous United States.   It also holds an extensive collection of military-flown imagery of the United States dating from about 1940 to 1960. 
  • Aerial Photography of the Soil Conservation Service, 1934-1954.  About 600,000 available.
  • Aerial photos from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
    • Missouri River Division, 1944-1969 (source)
    • Kansas City District, 1926-1940 (source)
  • Ordering aerial photos from the National Archives
    "All requests for aerial photography searches must be accompanied by a detailed map upon which the limits of the site are clearly outlined. The request should also include a brief geographic description of the site such as state, county, geographic coordinates, variant spellings of the site name and/or relative location of the site with nearby, well-known geographic locales. Once NWCSC receives this information, staff will indicate to the researcher either the indexes that should be purchased (if the area is large) or the individual photographs needed if the area is small. (source)
  • Finding aid: Aerial Photographs in the National Archives, compiled by Charles E. Taylor and Richard E. Spurr, 1973. Provides list of aerial photographs by Missouri county. 1930s-1940s.
     
• Library of Congress
  • Geography and Map Division is said to have 7 million aerial photos from NASA and the USDA
     
• U.S. Department of Agriculture
  • USDA Aerial Photography Field Office
     
• Missouri Spatial Data Information Service (MSDIS) imagery data.
  • MSDIS Missouri Map
  • Missouri 2 Foot Resolution Aerial Photography
• St. Louis County GIS Service Center
  • Offers aerial photos dated 1937-2010 for St. Louis County, for a fee.

Further resources:

• Missouri Department of Transportation Reference Sources guide

Further reading:

• Sources for Historic Aerial Photography and Maps of the United States, by Joshua Sky and Leslie A. Morrissey (University of Vermont)

Reference service is available
Mon - Fri 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Government Documents Department
106B Ellis Library (1st Floor East)
University of Missouri

Marie Concannon (573) 882-0748
concannonm@missouri.edu