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1947 Map of Oliver Lake

Name: 1947 Topographic Map of Oliver Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1947
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1947

About this map

Glacial lake chains dominate this portion of LaGrange County, where the North Branch Elkhart River connects a string of water bodies including Oliver Lake, Witmer Lake, and Dallas Lake. The 1940s landscape shows a mix of recreational and institutional development, evidenced by the Limberlost Camp on the shores of Oliver Lake and the Rogers Orphanage located further west in Clearspring township.

Settlement patterns are concentrated around the Pennsylvania railroad line, which passes through the village of Valentine and the northern edge of Wolcottville. For genealogists, the map is a dense record of family-named landmarks and rural infrastructure, from the Jordan Cem near Sand Hill to the Taylor Sch. The transition into Noble County to the south is marked by the winding course of the Middle Branch Elkhart River and numerous wetland pockets like The Spreads.