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1938 Map of Olean

Name: 1938 Topographic Map of Olean
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1964
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1964

About this map

The Allegheny River and a dense network of competing rail lines define the industrial and agricultural landscape of Cattaraugus County in this 1938 revision. The city of Olean and its neighboring settlements like Boardmanville and East Olean are shown at a peak of rail connectivity, served by the Erie RR, the Pennsylvania RR, and the Pittsburg Shawmut & Northern RR. This infrastructure supported the local economy as it moved away from its lumbering roots toward manufacturing and transit.

To the north, the Oil Spring Indian Reservation sits near Cuba Lake, while smaller hamlets such as Westons Mills and Haskell Flats occupy the narrow valleys between prominent elevations like Mt Herman and Typnahda Mountain. The survey also captures the early Olean Airport and the geological curiosity of Rock City near the Pennsylvania border, providing a clear record of the region’s topography before mid-century modernizations.