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1900 Map of Dunkirk

Name: 1900 Topographic Map of Dunkirk
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1945
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1945

About this map

Lake Erie defines the northern shoreline of this survey, where the major port and industrial hub of Dunkirk anchors a complex network of late 19th-century rail infrastructure. The convergence of lines like the L. S. and M. S. R. R. and the Erie R. R. through the city and nearby Fredonia illustrates the region's importance as a transportation corridor connecting New York and Pennsylvania. Moving inland from the lake, the terrain rises into the rolling hills of Arkwright and Chautauqua townships, dotted with smaller communities and rural post offices such as Van Buren (Cushing P.O.).

Social and spiritual centers of the era are visible in the lakeside spiritualist assembly at Lily Dale and the surrounding waters of Upper Lake and Lower Lake. To the south, the map captures the headwaters of Chautauqua Lake near Mayville, a vital local landmark for the growing tourist and religious movements of the period. The intricate drainage patterns of Beaver Creek and Canadaway Creek further delineate the agricultural and industrial potential of the landscape before the turn of the century.