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1898 Map of Olean

Name: 1898 Topographic Map of Olean
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1932
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1932

About this map

Olean sits at the nexus of a dense late-19th-century industrial and transport landscape, defined by the winding Allegheny River and a massive concentration of Oil Tanks south of the city. This 1896 survey reveals a region heavily shaped by the Pennsylvania oil boom and railroad expansion, featuring an intricate web of competing lines including the Erie R.R., the Western New York and Penna. R.R., and the Central New York and Western R.R..

Outside the urban core, the terrain transitions into a series of deeply carved valleys and named hollows like Morgan Hollow and Fay Hollow. To the north, the Oil Spring Indian Reservation borders Cuba Lake, while to the south, the landscape rises toward the New York Penna. Boundary Line near the Knapp Creek settlement. The map captures specialized infrastructure of the era, from the Narrow Gauge roads to the lumber-related industry implied by Westons Mills and Mill Grove.