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1959 Map of Reed City

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Reed City
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1971
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1971

About this map

Reed City serves as the industrial and transportation hub for this portion of West Michigan, situated at the busy intersection of the Chesapeake and Ohio and Pennsylvania railroads. This mid-century landscape is defined by its transition from the managed timber of the Pere Marquette State Forest to the productive agriculture and early oil exploration of Osceola and Lake counties. Numerous oil wells and gravel pits are scattered throughout the rural townships of Pinora and Lincoln, signaling the era's extraction economy.

Rural life is preserved through an extensive network of country schools and churches, such as Burt Sch, Rosenburg Sch, and Cherry Valley Ch. The Pere Marquette River and its tributaries, including Jewitt Cr and Sanborn Creek, snake through the terrain, while landmarks like the Pinora Lookout Tower and Miller Airport provide critical local infrastructure. Small settlements like Nirvana, Chase, and Ashton remain vital nodes along the rail lines and early state highways.