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1902 Map of Genoa

Name: 1902 Topographic Map of Genoa
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1912
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1912

About this map

The deep waters of Cayuga Lake dominate this landscape, serving as a primary transit corridor for the central Finger Lakes at the turn of the century. A clearly marked Steamboat Route bisects the water, connecting shoreside landings like Trumansburg Landing and Sheldrake to the wider region. This era saw the height of the Lehigh Valley RR influence, with multiple branches including the Ithaca Branch and the Auburn and Ithaca Branch tracing the lake's eastern and western slopes.

Upland from the water, the settlement pattern is dense with agricultural villages and academic institutions, most notably Wells College in the northwest. Named features like Taghanic Falls and Black Rock highlight the dramatic vertical relief of the glaciated terrain. Genealogists can trace early twentieth-century community life through the numerous small centers like Poplar Ridge, Venice Center, and Ludlowville, which thrived before modern highway systems altered the rural economy.