1945 Map of Rochester

About this map

The settlement of Rochester and its surroundings in Oakland County are captured here during the mid-1940s, a period when the landscape was a mix of small village centers and rural school districts. The community is linked by significant transportation corridors, including the Michigan Central and Grand Trunk Western railroads, which parallel the course of Paint Creek and the Clinton River. In the western reaches of the quadrangle, the terrain rises toward Bald Mtn, where the Bald Mtn Golf Club and various localized ditches like Dutton Ditch define the land use. This survey is particularly valuable for its density of rural educational landmarks, identifying nearly a dozen neighborhood schools such as Bigler Sch, Five Points Sch, and Hubble Sch. These sites, along with the Oakland Cem, provide specific geographic anchors for researchers tracing family property and local development before the post-war suburban expansion.