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1900 Map of Erie

Name: 1900 Topographic Map of Erie
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1932
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1932

About this map

Erie serves as a bustling hub of rail and maritime commerce at the turn of the century, dominated by the protective curve of Presque Isle. The map captures the city's complex street grid extending toward Presque Isle Bay, where the Presque Isle L. H. and Erie L. H. guarded the entrance to one of the most vital ports on Lake Erie. This survey reveals an era before modern lakeside development, showing the natural lagoons of Cranberry Pond and Ridge Pond alongside the grimly named Graveyard Ponds.

Inland, the landscape is defined by the convergence of major transit lines like the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern R. R. and the New York Chicago and St. Louis R. R.. Small rural centers such as West Mill Creek, Swanville, and Weis Library dot the rolling terrain, while the southern reaches show the early footprints of Waterford and Middleboro. The detailed depiction of Walnut Creek and Le Boeuf Creek illustrates the importance of the local watershed to these developing upland communities.