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1907 Map of Lake Pleasant

Name: 1907 Topographic Map of Lake Pleasant
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1921
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1921

About this map

Lake Pleasant and its namesake settlement anchor this high-elevation landscape in the Adirondacks, where the early 20th-century economy revolved around the water and the woods. The network of the West Branch Sacandaga River and Stony Creek drains a territory of high peaks, including Speculator Mtn and Hamilton Mtn, connecting remote outposts like Whitehouse and Gilmantown. Near the village of Speculator, a Hatchery and several benchmarks point to active resource management and early surveying efforts.

Smaller hamlets such as Benson Center and the Alvord PO in the northern reaches illustrate the sparse but deliberate settlement pattern of the era. The presence of the Welldevil Dam on the Silver Lake outlet suggests localized water control, while the abundance of named peaks like Cathead Mtn and Indian Head shows a landscape deeply known to local woodsmen and early recreationalists long before modern development altered these shores.