1902 Map of Ditney

About this map

Petersburg and the winding Patoka River anchor this turn-of-the-century landscape, which captures a critical moment in Southern Indiana's industrial development. The map reveals a transition from water-based transport to a robust rail network, as the old Wabash Canal is visible alongside the emerging lines of the Southern Railway and the Evansville and Indianapolis RR. Mining and agricultural settlements like Ayrshire, Winslow, and Oakland City dot the terrain, while landmarks like Big Ditney Hill and Kennedy Hill rise above the drainage basins of Pigeon Creek and Buck Creek. This survey records numerous smaller hamlets such as Algiers, Dongola, and Oatsville, many of which served as local hubs for the rural population before the expansion of modern highways altered the region's geography.