1930 Map of Niles

About this map

The St Joseph River snakes through this 1930 edition, anchoring the development of southwestern Michigan's Berrien County just before the Great Depression. At the heart of the sheet lies the established industrial and transit hub of Niles, where the Michigan Central railroad intersects with major regional thoroughfares like State Trunk Highway No 60. The landscape is densely packed with rural institutions, from the campus of Emmanuel Missionary College near Berrien Springs to a vast network of country schools such as St Joe Valley Sch and Sleepy Hollow Sch. The western portion of the quadrangle shows the drainage basins of the Galien River and Hickory Cr, supporting small farming communities like Baroda and Dayton. Genealogists will find particular value in the numerous family-named landmarks and cemeteries, including Rose Hill Cem and Hinman Cem, which dot the townships from Sodus down to the Michigan Indiana state line.