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1916 Map of Three Rivers

Name: 1916 Topographic Map of Three Rivers
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1932
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1932

About this map

Three Rivers sits at the hydrological heart of this landscape, where the Portage River, Rocky River, and St Joseph River converge. This 1914 survey captures a moment when the river-and-rail economy was peaking, marked by the Sturgis Power Dam and the heavy presence of the New York Central railroad. The map reveals an incredible density of rural social infrastructure, with dozens of family-named schools such as Johnnycake School and Peck Academy dotting the countryside.

Moving south toward the Indiana border, the terrain shifts into a lake-rich district anchored by Klinger Lake. Settlement patterns follow the ancient corridor of the Chicago Road, passing through White Pigeon and Constantine. Genealogists will find particular value in the specific locations of the Brick Chapel and scattered cemeteries that served these farming townships before mid-century consolidation.