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1889 Map of Scranton

Name: 1889 Topographic Map of Scranton
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1954
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1954

About this map

The Wyoming Valley and the narrow corridor of the Lackawanna River anchor this late 19th-century survey, capturing the dense industrial and urban development of the Anthracite Coal Region. The city of Scranton dominates the landscape, showing the early gridiron expansion into Hyde Park and Providence, while a string of coal towns including Dickson City, Olyphant, and Archbald trace the valley northeastward. These settlements are inextricably linked by a complex web of railroads, including the Delaware Lackawanna and Western RR and the D & H RR, which facilitated the massive movement of coal and passengers.

Beyond the industrial river basin, the terrain rises sharply into the Moosic Mountains and the plateaus of Abington. To the southeast, the landscape transitions to more isolated settlements like Moscow and Daleville along the Erie and Wyoming Valley Railroad. Local landmarks such as Pinnacle Hill and Big Shiney Mt punctuate the high ground, providing a stark contrast to the concentrated urban centers of the valley floor.