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1953 Map of Vandergrift

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Vandergrift
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1955
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1955

About this map

The Kiskiminetas River carves a sharp oxbow around Vandergrift and East Vandergrift in this early 1950s survey of the industrial heart of the Kiskiminetas Valley. The map captures a landscape defined by the Pennsylvania railroad line following the riverbank, connecting coal-rich hillsides marked by Strip Mines to the dense residential grids of Oklahoma, Apollo, and North Apollo.

Genealogists and local historians will find significant detail in the numerous rural institutions, including the Saints Cosmas & Damian Shrine and the Fort Hand Historical Marker, which notes a site of frontier defense. The southern portion of the sheet is dominated by the sprawling Beaver Run Reservoir and its associated Beaver Run Filtration Plant, contrasting with the more developed northern townships where the Vandergrift Airport and Leechburg Airport serve the era's growing aviation needs.