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1918 Map of Kalamazoo

Name: 1918 Topographic Map of Kalamazoo
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1932
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1932

About this map

The city of Kalamazoo and the surrounding river valley are captured here just before the end of the First World War, showing a landscape defined by an extensive rail network and industrial growth. Major infrastructure such as the Otsego Dam and the State Hospital appear alongside the dense street grid of the city, which is flanked by the Riverside Cemetery and Recreation Park. The Kalamazoo River corridor serves as the primary artery for both commerce and transport, connecting the urban center to outlying paper-mill towns like Plainwell and Parchment.

Beyond the city, the survey documents a dense rural infrastructure of small-district schools such as Grand Prairie School and Garrison School. In the northern stretches, the Gun Plain and various glacial lakes including Pine Lake and Warner Lake dominate the geography. The map traces the routes of the Grand Rapids and Indiana RR and the Michigan Railway (Electric), illustrating the era's reliance on both heavy steam rail and electric interurban lines to move people and goods through Kalamazoo County.