1953 Map of Scranton

About this map

Scranton and Wilkes-Barre anchor a landscape defined by the anthracite coal valleys and the high plateaus of the Pocono Mountains and Catskill Mountains in the early 1950s. This regional study reveals a complex industrial infrastructure where the Delaware Lackawanna & Western RR and the Erie Railroad navigate the steep grades of the Moosic Mountains. The map illustrates the strategic importance of water management for the New York City region, showing the newly completed or expanding Pepacton Reservoir, Neversink Reservoir, and Ashokan Reservoir. From the industrial corridors of Pittston and Nanticoke to the military grounds at West Point Military Reservation along the Hudson River, the sheet captures a period of high-density rail traffic and established mountain tourism before the interstate highway system shifted the region's transport patterns.