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1958 Map of Milwaukee

Name: 1958 Topographic Map of Milwaukee
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1958
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

Lake Michigan dominates this mid-century survey, illustrating the maritime and rail connections between the Wisconsin and Michigan shorelines. On the western shore, the industrial and residential expansion of Milwaukee is evident, stretching north through Shorewood, Whitefish Bay, and Glendale. Further north, Sheboygan and Port Washington serve as primary coastal anchors. The Michigan side presents a starkly different character, defined by the heavy timberlands of the Manistee National Forest and a series of glacial lakes including Pentwater Lake and White Lake.

The infrastructure of the era is marked by several cross-lake ferry routes connecting Milwaukee and Manitowoc to Michigan ports like Ludington. Traces of the region's spiritual and rural history are grounded in labels like Holy Cross Church in Wisconsin and smaller inland settlements such as Scottville and Walkerville in Michigan. Major rail lines, including the Chicago & North Western and Pennsylvania, converge at the lakefronts, highlighting the importance of intermodal transport in the 1950s Great Lakes economy.