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1902 Map of Phelps

Name: 1902 Topographic Map of Phelps
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1910
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1910

About this map

Clifton Springs and Shortsville anchor the northern landscape of this Ontario County region, where the Canandaigua Outlet and the Lehigh Valley R. R. shaped the industrial and social development of the Finger Lakes hinterlands. The map reveals a dense network of steam-era transportation, featuring the New York Central and Hudson River R. R. intersecting with regional lines like the Northern Central R. R. at Stanley.

Agricultural history is prominently represented by the N. Y. Agricultural Station near the eastern boundary, reflecting the area's importance to New York's turn-of-the-century farming research. Numerous small hamlets and local crossroads, such as Seneca Castle, Ennerdale, and Halls Corners, illustrate a highly decentralized settlement pattern before the dominance of the automobile, while water bodies like Flint Creek and the West River provided the necessary drainage and power for the mills that once supported these rural communities.