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1927 Map of De Witt

Name: 1927 Topographic Map of De Witt
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1950
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1950

About this map

St Johns and the surrounding Clinton County agricultural landscape dominate this mid-1920s survey, characterized by a dense grid of rural schoolhouses and family farms. The map reveals an era when local education was decentralized, as evidenced by nearly two dozen named schools like the Bengal Center School, Stony Creek School, and Cramer School spaced evenly throughout the townships of Bengal and Bingham. The Lookingglass River meanders across the central portion, connecting small communities such as De Witt and Wacousta.

Transportation patterns of the time are clearly visible, from the Michigan Central railroad corridor in the northeast to the early hard-surface roads like the Lane and Central routes. The southern edge of the sheet touches the outskirts of Lansing and Grand Ledge, capturing the intersection of the Grand River and the rural hinterland before post-war suburban expansion altered these township lines.