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1901 Map of Niagara Falls

Name: 1901 Topographic Map of Niagara Falls
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1909
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1909

About this map

Fort Niagara stands at the strategic mouth of the Niagara River where it meets Lake Ontario, anchoring a landscape defined by international borders and early industrial power. This turn-of-the-century survey illustrates the dramatic gorge and cataract at Niagara Falls, including the complex network of islands like Goat Id. and Grass Id. just above the drop. The map highlights a significant concentration of transportation infrastructure, including the Suspension Bridge and the Niagara Falls and Lewiston R. R. which hugs the riverbanks.

Settlements like Youngstown, Lewiston, and Queenston are shown alongside military and commemorative sites such as Fort Massassauga and the Brock Monument. The transition from the high elevations of the Niagara Escarpment near St Davids down to the plains of Porter is visible through detailed contouring, capturing the region's geography before the extensive twentieth-century expansion of hydroelectric and urban development.