Loading map...

1902 Map of Phelps

Name: 1902 Topographic Map of Phelps
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1918
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1918

About this map

Phelps and Clifton Springs anchor this 1899 survey of the Ontario and Yates county borderlands, where a complex network of iron rails meets the fertile drumlin fields of the Finger Lakes region. The map reveals the critical importance of rail transport at the turn of the century, with the New York Central and Hudson River R. R., Lehigh Valley R. R., and Northern Central R. R. all converging near Phelps Junction.

Rural life is marked by numerous small hamlets and crossing points like Seneca Castle, Halls Corners, and Reed Corners. Along the Canandaigua Outlet and Flint Creek, the landscape is dotted with early industry, including a Gypsum mine and the N. Y. Agricultural Station. From the northern reaches of Manchester to the southern village of Rushville, this document records a period when small-scale agriculture and heavy rail infrastructure were the primary drivers of Western New York's economy.