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1897 Map of Ridgeway

Name: 1897 Topographic Map of Ridgeway
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1943
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1943

About this map

Lake Ontario defines the northern edge of this 1896 survey, where the Thirtymile Pt. L.H. stands as a sentinel over the shoreline. The interior landscape is a structured grid of agricultural townships like Yates and Carlton, deeply etched by the meandering courses of Oak Orchard Creek and Johnson Creek. These waterways, particularly near Waterport and Johnson, dictated the early placement of mills and small hubs long before the modern highway system reorganized the region.

Transportation corridors dominate the southern half of the map, illustrating the vital economic lifelines of the late 19th century. The Erie Canal clips the southern corner at Eagle Harbor, while the Rome Watertown and Ogdensburg R. R. cuts a straight line across the center, serving villages such as Lyndonville and Millers. The historic Ridge Road runs parallel to the canal, connecting older settlements like Ridgeway and Jeddo along the high ground of the glacial lake ridge.