1931 Map of Hart NW

About this map

The Lake Michigan shoreline of Oceana County is anchored by the prominent headland of Little Point Sable, where the Little Pt Sable Ch stands near the dunes. Inland, the landscape of the 1930s is a patchwork of small-scale agriculture and woodlots, connected by a network of rural schoolhouses such as Peach Ridge Sch, Batham Sch, and Silver Lake Sch. The Pere Marquette railroad cuts through the eastern portion of the map, serving the village of Mears and facilitating the regional movement of timber and farm goods. This early survey, compiled in part from Air Corps aerial photographs, shows a reliance on water resources for drainage and transit, featuring the Drainage Ditch and Au Sable Creek. Numerous small bodies of water like Round Lake and Morris Lake dot the interior, illustrating the post-glacial topography of the Golden and Pentwater townships.