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1923 Map of Marshall

Name: 1923 Topographic Map of Marshall
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1923
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1923

About this map

The Kalamazoo River corridor anchors this early 1920s survey of southern Michigan, showing the industrial and agricultural landscape before modern highway development. The city of Marshall and neighboring Albion are depicted as major hubs, connected by the parallel tracks of the Michigan Central Railroad and the Michigan Electric Railway. This interurban rail presence highlights a specific era of Michigan transportation history when electric trolley lines still linked regional towns.

North of the river, the terrain is defined by glacial kettle lakes and a dense network of one-room schoolhouses like Fox School and Butterfield School that served the rural townships of Clarence and Lee. In the northern reaches, the village of Olivet and its nearby Olivet Station demonstrate the split between traditional town centers and the specialized rail depots that fueled the local economy. The map also records early water management efforts through features like Mills Ditch and East Ridge Ditch.