1894 Map of Bloomsburg

About this map

Fishing Creek and its major tributaries, including Huntington Creek and Little Fishing Creek, carve a complex drainage pattern through the ridge-and-valley landscape of Columbia County. The 1890 survey illustrates a period where water, rail, and canal infrastructure coexisted along the Susquehanna River. While the Pennsylvania Canal still follows the riverbank, the presence of the D. L. and W. R. R. and the Wilkesbarre and Western R.R. signifies the shifting dominance of steam power. The prominence of Knob Mountain and Lee Mountain provides a natural barrier that influenced the placement of early settlements like Orangeville and Benton. Researchers can find numerous small hamlets and milling sites, such as Coles Mills and Light Street, which were essential to the local agricultural economy before the rise of larger industrial centers.