1942 Map of Murphy Island

About this map

The St Lawrence River serves as the international boundary between New York and Ontario in this wartime survey, showing the interconnected river-and-rail infrastructure of the mid-20th century. On the Canadian shore, the Canadian National railroad tracks parallel the water, serving established riverfront settlements like Morrisburg and Mariatown. Navigational features are prominent along the river corridor, including the Rapide Plat Canal and a dense collection of islands such as Ogden Island, Canada Island, and Murphy Island. Further inland on the Canadian side, small agricultural and crossroads communities like Glen Becker, Williamsburg, and Froatsburn dot the landscape, connected by a network of rural roads and drainage ways such as Hoasic Creek. This map captures the region's character just prior to the massive structural changes of the 1950s Seaway project, preserving the original positions of shoreline towns and islands.