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1900 Map of Oswego

Name: 1900 Topographic Map of Oswego
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1939
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1939

About this map

Oswego and its bustling harbor on Lake Ontario anchor the northeastern corner of this turn-of-the-century survey, which reveals a landscape deeply connected by competing rail lines. The Rome Watertown and Ogdensburg Line and the Electric Railroad serve the lakefront, while the Lehigh Valley and Auburn Division cut through the inland townships of Sterling and Hannibal. Small crossroads and farming communities like Fruit Valley, Oswego Center, and Hannibal Center are shown in their late Victorian configuration, often centered on rail stops or post offices.

Water-driven geography is prominent along the shoreline, where Little Sodus Bay and Blind Sodus Bay provide natural shelters behind the coastal bluffs. Further inland, the map captures the intricate drainage of Ninemile Creek and Eightmile Creek, winding through a series of drumlins and glacial ridges such as Juniper Hill. This period was characterized by the transition from rural isolated farming toward a connected regional economy, as evidenced by the dense network of roads and rails connecting Sterling Sta. and Martville to the lake port.