1942 Map of Estral Beach

About this map

Estral Beach occupies the western edge of Lake Erie in this early 1940s survey, illustrating the interface between Monroe County’s coastal wetlands and the burgeoning residential developments of Berlin and Frenchtown. The map captures the shoreline before extensive post-war hardening, where the drainage of Lanoton Creek and Swan Creek meets the lake's open waters. Transportation is defined by a grid of local arteries including Port Sunlight Rd, Roberts Rd, and Masserant Rd, which provided essential access to the waterfront lots and summer cottages that characterized this era of Michigan’s coastal history. Notable for its clarity of the international boundary between the United States and Canada, the map provides a unique look at the maritime geography and rural road network of the Lake Erie shoreline during the early years of the Second World War.