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1990 Map of Manhattan

Name: 1990 Topographic Map of Manhattan
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1990
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1990

About this map

Fort Riley Military Reservation dominates the landscape west of Manhattan, illustrating the massive footprint of military infrastructure where the Republican River and Smoky Hill river systems converge. By 1990, the region had been fundamentally reshaped by large-scale water management projects, most notably the creation of Tuttle Creek Lake on the Big Blue River and Milford Lake to the west. These reservoirs, held by structures like the Tuttle Creek Dam, introduced significant recreation and flood control measures to the Kansas River valley.

The Union Pacific railroad corridor serves as the primary industrial artery, connecting river towns such as Ogden, Wamego, and St Marys. North of the river, the map reveals a transition from the dense urban grid of Manhattan to the rural townships of Pottawatomie and Riley counties. Small, scattered settlements like Randolph, Olsburg, and Flush punctuate the upland prairies, while the Kansas River winds through its broad alluvial plain toward the eastern edge of the survey.