Loading map...

1951 Map of Berkey

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Berkey
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1952
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1952

About this map

The drainage network of the Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan borderlands defines the character of this 1951 landscape. Settlements like Richfield Center and Berkey serve as rural hubs in a region dominated by a meticulously engineered system of agricultural waterways, including the Prairie Ditch, Langenderfer Ditch, and Silberhorn Ditch. This web of ditches illustrates the historical effort to manage the flat, seasonally wet terrain of the Black Swamp periphery for productive farming.

Genealogists and local historians can trace the foundations of the community through its early institutions, such as the Farley Methodist Church and the Immaculate Conception Sch. The map records several distinct rural neighborhoods and junctions like Raab Corners and Frankfort, alongside civic spaces like Secor Park and the Glengary Country Club. The proximity of the Michigan Ohio state line highlights the cross-border connectivity of the period, anchored by primary thoroughfares like Central Ave and Sylvania Road.