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1927 Map of Cardigan

Name: 1927 Topographic Map of Cardigan
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1957
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

Newfound Lake dominates the eastern landscape of this 1920s survey, its shoreline dotted with camps and family destinations like Whittemore Point and Nutting Beach. The region's industrial and transport character is defined by the Boston and Maine Railroad, which follows the path of the Smith River through a series of rail towns including Grafton Center, South Grafton, and Danbury. The topography here reflects the transition from valley rail corridors to the high peaks of the Lakes Region, marked by the prominent Mt Cardigan and the extensive trail networks of the Welton Falls State Forest.

Local life at this time centered around numerous small schoolhouses, such as the East Neighborhood Sch and Birch Corner Sch, and the extraction of local minerals at the Alexandria Mica Mine. The map captures the intricate network of brooks and ponds, from Three Thousand Acre Pond to Kilton Pond, that supported both the local economy and the early recreational identity of this part of Grafton and Merrimack Counties.