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1888 Map of Sea Isle

Name: 1888 Topographic Map of Sea Isle
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1888
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1888

About this map

The coastal barrier islands and intricate salt marshes of Cape May are captured here in the late nineteenth century, just as the region began its transformation into a vacation destination. The West Jersey Railroad Sea Isle and Ocean City Branch provides the essential transit link across the marshlands, connecting the mainland settlements of Seaville and Ocean View to the burgeoning Sea Isle City on Ludlam Beach.

A series of Life-Saving Service outposts, including L. S. Station Sea Isle City and L. S. Station Corson's Inlet, reflect the maritime dangers of the era. The map provides an exceptionally detailed record of the shifting coastal geography, naming dozens of tidal channels such as Ingram's Thorofare, Ben Hands Thoro., and the Main Channel. These waterways define the navigation routes between Corson's Sound and Townsend Sound before modern coastal development reshaped the inland waterways.