1948 Map of East Lee

About this map

The Housatonic River corridor serves as the industrial and transportation spine for this portion of the Berkshires in the late 1940s. While the valley floor supports the paper and textile centers of Lee, Lenoxdale, and East Lee, the surrounding highlands are defined by the expansive forests of October Mountain. The map illustrates a landscape in transition, where the New York New Haven and Hartford railroad follows the riverbank, contrasted by the emerging recreational value of the high country. The Appalachian Trail winds through the eastern ridges, passing Finerty Pond and Becket Mountain, reflecting the area's dual identity as a manufacturing hub and a wilderness destination. Significant water bodies like Upper Goose Pond and Greenwater Pond are framed by a network of early rural routes, including the well-known Jacobs Ladder Road and Washington Mountain Road.