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1916 Map of Casco Bay

Name: 1916 Topographic Map of Casco Bay
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1916
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1916

About this map

Coastal defenses and maritime infrastructure define this 1916 survey of the Maine coastline. At the height of the coastal artillery era, the region is heavily fortified with installations such as Fort McKinley on Great Diamond Island, Fort Williams near the Portland Head light, and Fort Preble guarding the entrance to the inner harbor. These military outposts are interspersed with numerous civilian steamer landings, including Waites Landing and Trefethen Landing, illustrating the vital role of waterborne transport before modern road networks dominated.

Further south, the rural character of Cape Elizabeth is punctuated by the Cape Elizabeth School and the prominent Cape Elizabeth Lightship anchored offshore. The detailed soundings provided by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey reveal the complex bathymetry of Broad Sound and Luckse Sound, which served as essential corridors for the Boston and New York Steamboat Route and regional traffic bound for Portland.