Loading map...

1898 Map of Thirteenth Lake

Name: 1898 Topographic Map of Thirteenth Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1930
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1930

About this map

Gore Mt. and Thirteenth Lake dominate this late 19th-century survey of the southeastern Adirondacks, where Hamilton, Essex, and Warren counties converge. The landscape is a complex network of high peaks and isolated basins, defined by the drainage of the upper Hudson River to the northeast and the Sacandaya River to the south. Small, remote settlements such as Bakers Mills and Oregon appear as tiny outposts connected by primitive roads through the deep woods.

The mapping reveals the early industrial footprint of the region, specifically at Moores Mine near Roaring Brook. The distribution of dozens of small water bodies, from the high Siamese Ponds to the marshy Mud Ponds, suggests a terrain that was as much a barrier as a resource during this era of resource extraction. Local family names are etched into the topography through labels like Hayden Mt. and Durant Mt., marking the intersection of private landholdings and public forest preserve.