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1970 Map of Coloma

Name: 1970 Topographic Map of Coloma
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1973
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1973

About this map

The winding Paw Paw River serves as the central artery for this corner of Berrien and Van Buren Counties, connecting the inland leisure of Paw Paw Lake to the dunes of Lake Michigan. The twin towns of Coloma and Watervliet stand as established hubs along the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad line, their residential blocks punctuated by civic anchors like the High Sch and Hosp.

Genealogists will find a landscape dense with family history, from the rural Hicks settlement to several established burial grounds including St Joseph Cem and Kniebe Cem. The map illustrates a transitional period of regional infrastructure, where traditional farming and river life meet modern development at Lake Michigan Beach and specialized aviation sites such as Watervliet Mun Airport and the private Ringer Landing Strip. Local landmarks like the Point O' Woods Country Club further reflect the area's mid-century recreational growth.