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1888 Map of Paterson

Name: 1888 Topographic Map of Paterson
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1888
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1888

About this map

The Morris Canal snakes through the industrial heart of northeastern New Jersey, tracing a path south of Paterson and toward the Newark area. This late nineteenth-century landscape is defined by the heavy presence of rail and water infrastructure, where the Passaic River and Hackensack River support a dense network of early settlements like Wortendyke, Hackensack, and Montclair. The map captures a moment when the region's water supply was being managed through massive engineering projects, including the Jersey City Waterworks Aqueduct and the Newark Waterworks.

Transit corridors are dominated by numerous railroads, such as the West Shore Railroad and the New York Susquehanna and Western Railroad, which fueled the growth of commuter towns and manufacturing centers. From the heights of the Watchung Mountains to the low marshlands of North Bergen and Snake Hill, the map provides a detailed view of the terrain before the mid-twentieth century suburban expansion altered the local geography.