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1948 Map of Anderson Island

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Anderson Island
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1955
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1955

About this map

The McNeil Island (Federal Penitentiary) and the sprawling Fort Lewis Military Reservation dominate this post-war landscape of the South Sound. The map reveals a complex arrangement of military and institutional land use, including the Camp Murray National Guard and McChord Air Force Base, which flank the recreational and residential clusters around American Lake. To the north, the burgeoning suburbs of Tacoma reach toward Fircrest and Lakewood Center, while the Northern Pacific railroad tracks trace the coastline and inland prairies.

Maritime activity is evident through the numerous passages like Drayton Passage and Cormorant Passage, serving island communities at Johnson Landing and Steilacoom. Local life is anchored by landmarks such as the Visitation Academy, Tacoma Cemetery, and the State Hospital near Steilacoom Lake. Southward, the terrain transitions into the Argonne Forest and the Nisqually Reach, where the Nisqually Tidal Flat meets the delta, showing the original rail stops at Nisqually Station and St Clair Station.