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1909 Map of Opelika

Name: 1909 Topographic Map of Opelika
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1932
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1932

About this map

The Chattahoochee River forms a jagged natural boundary between Alabama and Georgia, defined in the early 1900s by a series of vital river crossings including Houston Ferry, Blanton Ferry, and Dixon Ferry. These ferries served as critical economic links between textile manufacturing centers like Lanett and West Point before modern bridges standardized regional travel. The landscape is deeply etched by a network of creeks—such as Osanippa Creek and Halawakee Creek—which supported numerous small-scale industries like Wands Mill and Jackson Mill.

Inland, the convergence of the West Point Route and the Central of Alabama railroads at Opelika highlights the town's emergence as a significant transit hub. Neighboring Auburn and Lafayette are shown as established centers, while smaller settlements like Beulah and Cusseta appear alongside rural landmarks such as Antioch Church (Buckabee PO), offering a clear view of eastern Alabama's agrarian and industrial development at the start of the twentieth century.