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1942 Map of West Shokan

Name: 1942 Topographic Map of West Shokan
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1958
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

Ashokan Reservoir dominates the eastern landscape, a massive civil engineering feat that reshaped the Catskill region's topography. Based on 1942 aerial photography, this survey captures the rural layout of Ulster County before significant post-war modernization. Small mountain settlements like West Shokan and Samsonville are shown with their local schoolhouses, including the Bushkill Sch and Rochester Sch, which served as cornerstones for these isolated communities.

The terrain is defined by high peaks and narrow hollows, such as Maltby Hollow Brook and Watson Hollow Brook, which dictate the placement of roads and homesteads. Further south, the map details the rugged ascent toward Mombaccus Mountain and Big Rosy Bone Knob. This document provides a look at the early 20th-century landscape where industry and geography met, illustrated by the Moonhaw Gun Club and the intricate creek networks of the Vernooey Kill and Rondout Creek.