Bethlehem, Missouri
14 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1941 and the latest in 1986. It stands in Richwood Township. It lies in ZIP code area 64861. The Survey maps it on the Bethpage quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 14 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1941 USGS Rocky Comfort quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1943 USGS Rocky Comfort quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1954 USGS Tulsa quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Tulsa quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1963 USGS Tulsa quadrangle1:250000
- 1982 USGS Bethpage quadrangle1:24000
- 1986 USGS Neosho quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
27 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 27 fires within 5 miles of Bethlehem between 1992 and 2020, burning about 627 acres in total. None started naturally. 3 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 17 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 3 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 August 1994 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 23 August 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 2 August 1994 | Debris and open burning | 20 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 2 August 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 20 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 1 August 1994 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 8 May 2017 | Debris and open burning | 10 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 9 April 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 176 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 8 April 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
22 since 2008Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Bethlehem in 22 storm reports between 2008 and 2025: 11 flash flood, 9 flood, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2015 | Flood | Bethlehem | $90,000 | Highway U was closed north of Mikes Creek south of Highway 76 because of flooding. There were several roads and low water crossings across McDonald County that sustained damage due to flood water. This report will contain the total damage estimates for the entire county. |
| April 2025 | Flood | Bethlehem | $10,000 | A swift water rescue was performs when a small pickup truck was swept of the road by fast flowing water. Two people were rescued safely with no injuries. |
| April 2025 | Flash Flood | Bethlehem | - | Route U at Mikes Creek from Thomas Hollow to East Carter Road was flooded and impassable. |
| September 2025 | Flash Flood | Bethlehem | - | State Highway U was closed due to flooding. |
| May 2024 | Flash Flood | Bethlehem | - | Route U Northbound and Southbound closed due to flooding. |
| March 2023 | Flash Flood | Bethlehem | - | Route U at Mikes Creek was flooded and impassable. |
| April 2022 | Hail | Bethlehem | - | Nickle sized hail was reported. |
| April 2022 | Flood | Bethlehem | - | Highway U was closed and impassable due to flooding. |
| May 2022 | Flood | Bethlehem | - | State Highway U at the Mikes Creek low water crossing was closed due to flooding. |
| March 2021 | Flash Flood | Bethlehem | - | The low water bridge on Highway U at Mikes Creek was flooded and impassable. |
| March 2020 | Flash Flood | Bethlehem | - | State Highway U was closed at Mikes Creek due to flooding. |
| January 2020 | Flash Flood | Bethlehem | - | Excessive rain caused flooding on Highway U at Mikes Creek closing the road. |
| May 2020 | Flood | Bethlehem | - | Highway U was closed at the Mikes Creek low water crossing due to flooding. |
| May 2019 | Flash Flood | Bethlehem | - | State Highway U was closed due to flooding from Mikes Creek. |
| February 2018 | Flood | Bethlehem | - | State Highway U was closed due to flooding. |
| December 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bethlehem | - | A trained spotter estimated winds at 60 mph. |
| April 2017 | Flash Flood | Bethlehem | - | State Highway U was closed due to flooding along Mikes Creek. |
| June 2015 | Flash Flood | Bethlehem | - | State Route U was flooded and closed along Mikes Creek. |
| November 2011 | Flood | Bethlehem | - | Route U south of Highway 76 southwest of Wheaton was closed due to flooding from heavy rainfall the previous night and during the morning. |
| March 2010 | Flood | Bethlehem | - | Highway U closed three miles south of Highway 76. |
| May 2010 | Flood | Bethlehem | - | A low water crossing on state Highway U was flooded and closed. |
| September 2008 | Flash Flood | Bethlehem | - | A section of Highway U was flooded from Mikes Creek. |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simcoe | 1.9 miles | 14 | |
| Rocky Comfort | 2.8 miles | 14 | |
| Longview | 3.7 miles | 14 | |
| Bethpage | 5.9 miles | 14 | |
| Powell | 7.2 miles | 14 | |
| McCullough Ford | 9.0 miles | 13 | |
| Plainview | 9.5 miles | 13 | |
| McNatt | 9.6 miles | 13 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 714086. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.






