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1931 Map of Fennville

Name: 1931 Topographic Map of Fennville
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1931
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1931

About this map

The Kalamazoo River winds through this coastal Allegan County landscape, meeting Lake Michigan at the established resort communities of Saugatuck and Douglas. At this time in the late 1920s, the shoreline is dotted with seasonal destinations like Camp Gray, Eureka Park, and Castle Park, while the Old Saugatuck Light Ho stands as a sentinel near the river mouth. Inland, the Pere Marquette Railroad dictates the growth of agricultural hubs such as Fennville and Bravo, connecting the fruit-growing region to wider markets.

Rural education and social life are anchored by dozens of neighborhood landmarks, including the Peach Belt Sch, Gidley Sch, and Becksvoort Sch. The map reveals a specialized landscape of hunting and recreation along the bayous, evidenced by the Pottawattomie Gun Club and Hemlock Pt Gun Club. From the dunes of Baldhead to the drainage networks of the Leveridge Ditch, the map documents a transition from lakefront tourism to a productive interior of family farms and small hamlets like Pearl and Ganges.