1958 Map of Elmira

About this map

Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake dominate this mid-century portrait of the Finger Lakes region, a landscape defined by deep glacial troughs and the industrial arteries of the southern tier. The map illustrates the transition of transportation in the late 1940s and 1950s, showing the brand-new New York State Thruway cutting across the northern reaches near Waterloo and Seneca Falls, while the venerable Erie Canal follows the path of the Seneca River. To the south, the manufacturing hubs of Elmira and Corning are linked by the Chemung River and a dense network of competing railroads including the Pennsylvania and Erie lines. Rural life is anchored by smaller settlements like Penn Yan at the head of Keuka Lake and the collegiate center of Ithaca at the southern tip of Cayuga. High points such as Hector Backbone and Call Hill overlook a topography where every valley floor carries the weight of 19th-century rail infrastructure and river-borne trade.