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1918 Map of Kalamazoo

Name: 1918 Topographic Map of Kalamazoo
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1918
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1918

About this map

Kalamazoo stands as a burgeoning industrial and transit hub at the confluence of several major rail lines, including the Michigan Central RR and the Grand Rapids and Indiana RR. The 1918 landscape is defined by the winding course of the Kalamazoo River, which powers the Otsego Dam and flows past the growing riverfront settlements of Plainwell and Parchment. The area west of the city transition into the varied terrain of Gun Plain, where numerous small lakes like Twin Lake and Rupert Lake dot the countryside.

Social and civic life is anchored by a dense network of country schools, such as the Grand Prairie School and Kershaw School, alongside landmarks like the State Hospital and the Fish Hatchery. Researchers can trace the early path of the Territorial Road and the scattered rural hamlets like Daugherty Corners and Oshtemo, which illustrate the region's shift from a purely agricultural Prairie toward an integrated industrial and residential center.