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1918 Map of Lowell

Name: 1918 Topographic Map of Lowell
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1950
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1950

About this map

The confluence of the Grand River and the Thornapple River serves as a focal point for settlement and industry in this early twentieth-century survey of Kent and Ionia counties. The town of Lowell dominates the central landscape, positioned where the Grand Trunk railroad follows the river valley. Further west, Ada marks another significant river crossing, while the surrounding townships of Vergennes and Cascade are dotted with a high density of rural schoolhouses, such as McPherson School and Snow School, which indicate the established farming communities of the era.

Transportation corridors define the regional economy, with the Pere Marquette railway cutting through the southern half of the map, serving small junctions and settlements like McCord, Alto, and Elmdale. This period before widespread highway development is captured through the prominence of named rural roads like Ionia Road and the scattered rural landmarks that supported local life, including Church Corner and the uniquely named Little Brick School in the northeastern corner of the sheet.