1900 Map of Dunkirk

About this map

Industrial and maritime activity defines the northern shoreline of this survey, where Dunkirk serves as a major rail hub on the coast of Lake Erie. At the turn of the century, a dense network of competing lines, including the Nickel Plate and the Erie R. R., funnels through this harbor town and toward Fredonia. Moving inland, the landscape shifts from the lake-plain vineyards to the rising topography of the Chautauqua hills. Here, the map reveals the spiritualist community of Lily Dale situated between Upper Lake and Lower Lake. To the southwest, the headwaters of Chautauqua Lake appear at Hartfield, while rural crossroads like Sinclairville and Arkwright Falls mark the agricultural uplands. This area preserves the late-nineteenth-century settlement pattern of Chautauqua County before modern highways altered the local corridors.