1893 Map of Greenwood Lake

About this map

Greenwood Lake sits at the heart of this late 19th-century study, straddling the high mountain ridges and state boundaries of New York and New Jersey. The landscape is defined by the extraction of iron ore, evidenced by a dense network of mountain mines including the Charlotteburg Mine, Hope Mine, and Green Pond Mines. These industrial outposts are linked by a rugged infrastructure of specialized rail lines like the Sterling Mountain Railroad and the Ringwood Branch Railroad, which serviced the iron furnaces and remote settlements of the Highlands. In the valleys, established villages such as West Milford and New Foundland anchor the rural landscape. The map reveals an intricate hydrological system of feeder ponds and lakes, such as Macopin Lake and Wawayanda Lake, that supported both the local industry and the developing regional water networks during this era of rapid industrialization.