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1947 Map of Union City

Name: 1947 Topographic Map of Union City
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1978
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1978

About this map

Union City serves as the focal point of this postwar landscape where the St Joseph River meets the Michigan Central Railroad. The presence of the Union City Dam on Union Lake highlights the importance of water management for local power and industry in the late 1940s. The surrounding townships of Athens, Sherwood, and Burlington are dotted with small-scale agricultural landmarks, including an exceptional number of named country schools such as the Old Red Sch, Brick Sch, and Cobblestone Sch.

Genealogists can trace early settlement patterns through family-named corners and crossroads like Morgan Corners and Stanley Corners. The map documents a dense network of rural infrastructure, from the Newton Ch to several well-established burial grounds including Morgan Cem 1 and the West Prairie Cem, reflecting the deep-rooted community structure of Branch and Calhoun counties before mid-century modernization shifted rural life.