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1926 Map of Bradford

Name: 1926 Topographic Map of Bradford
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1945
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1945

About this map

Bradford serves as the industrial and transit hub of this McKean County landscape, situated at the confluence of the West Branch Tuna Creek and East Branch Tuna Creek. The mapping reveals a dense network of extraction and production infrastructure, including the Nusbaum Chemical Plant and Hazelton Mills, alongside smaller settlements like Derrick City and Sawyer City. This era was defined by intensive rail activity, with lines for the Erie Railroad, Pennsylvania Railroad, and Buffalo Rochester And Pittsburgh Railroad threading through the narrow valleys to serve the region's oil and timber interests.

To the south, the terrain becomes more isolated, marked by high points like Big Shanty Hill and the notable Kinzua Viaduct. Remote outposts such as Simpson Cyclone PO and Riterville Sta appear alongside numerous rural schoolhouses, including the Songbird School and Minard Run School. These scattered landmarks, along with vanished localities like Timbuck and Irishtown, offer a look at the social geography of the northern Pennsylvania highlands before the consolidation of these upland communities.