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1905 Map of Portage

Name: 1905 Topographic Map of Portage
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1926
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1926

About this map

The Genesee River carves a dramatic path through the southeastern corner of this landscape, marked by a series of significant cataracts including Upper Falls, Middle Falls, and Lower Falls. This 1905 survey reveals Wyoming County as a critical rail corridor at the turn of the century, where the Erie Railroad and Buffalo Rochester and Pittsburg RR intersect near Silver Lake Junction. The industrial and social hub of Warsaw anchors the north, while the shores of Silver Lake host the Silver Lake Assembly, reflecting the era's Victorian-style seasonal gatherings and theological retreats.

Agricultural hamlets like Wethersfield Springs, Hermitage, and Pike Five Corners are connected by a dense network of country roads, following the contours of the high ground between Oatka Creek and East Koy Creek. Genealogists can trace the early property divisions across townships such as Gainesville and Orangeville, as well as the specific locations of rural crossroads like Sowerby Corners and Halls Corners before modern development altered these historic land patterns.