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1906 Map of Monhegan

Name: 1906 Topographic Map of Monhegan
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1912
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1912

About this map

Monhegan stands isolated in the Atlantic Ocean, a landmark for the maritime commerce that defined the Maine coast in the early twentieth century. This survey documents the intricate coastal geography between the Bristol and St George shorelines, where the primary movement of goods and people relied on the steamboat route cutting through Muscongus Bay. On the mainland, small fishing and trading hubs like Port Clyde, Friendship, and New Harbor are shown during an era of transition as coastal industries matured.

Navigational complexity is evident in the dense network of islands and ledges, such as Bremen Long Island and Garrison Island, which guarded the approaches to Friendship Harbor. The map records numerous family-named points and coves, including Bradford Pt, Hooper Pt, and Howard Pond, providing essential data for those tracing the historical footprint of coastal families. This coastal network, from the narrow Hockomock Channel to the open Georges Strait, reflects a landscape where the sea was the primary highway for the surrounding communities.