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1951 Map of Natural Dam

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Natural Dam
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1951
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1951

About this map

The Oswegatchie River dominates this mid-century landscape, carving a winding path through the townships of Gouverneur, Macomb, and Rossie. The river’s importance to early industry and settlement is evident in the cluster of small communities and crossroads that line its banks, including Elmdale, Wegatchie, and the namesake Natural Dam. Along the southern boundary, the map captures a portion of the Pine Camp Military Reservation, providing a record of federal land use in the area during the early Cold War era.

Local history researchers will find significant detail in the distribution of rural institutions, such as the Scotch Settlement School and Laidlow School, as well as several unnamed cemeteries marked near Spragueville and Oxbow. The long, narrow basin of Yellow Lake and the wetlands around Mud Lake illustrate the glacial topography of the St. Lawrence River Valley. Transportation at this time was defined by the New York Central railroad and a network of secondary roads like West Cross Road and Carr Road.