Loading map...

1898 Map of Rochester

Name: 1898 Topographic Map of Rochester
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1908
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1908

About this map

The Genesee River serves as the central artery for this late 19th-century landscape, flowing through the heart of Rochester toward its outlet at Charlotte on Lake Ontario. This era represents a peak for the region's transport network, where the historic Erie Canal arcs across the map to meet a dense web of steam and electric rail lines. To the east, the deep incision of Irondequoit Bay and the Irondequoit River provide a stark contrast to the gridded urban core, showing the resort-heavy shoreline near Glen Haven and Lake Beach.

Beyond the city limits, the map documents the established agricultural townships of Greece, Henrietta, and Pittsford. Smaller railroad hamlets and junctions like Genesee Junction and South Greece Station highlight the rural connectivity of the day. In the southern reaches, the topography shifts around Mendon Pond and the Rush Reservoir, areas that provided essential water resources for the growing population center to the north.