1969 Map of West Shokan

About this map

Ashokan Reservoir dominates the northeastern corner of this 1969 survey, where the Penn Central rail line skirted the shore near West Shokan. The landscape is a study in the intersection of public land and rural settlement, with the vast Catskill State Park and various sections of the State Forest Preserve blanketing the high peaks. Deep valleys such as Maltby Hollow Brook and Bush Kill provided the primary corridors for early access, while peaks like Friday Mtn and Mombaccus Mtn defined the township boundaries between Shandaken, Rochester, and Olive. For local historians, the map preserves the locations of smaller 19th-century hamlets like Samsonville and Palentown, the latter of which includes the Palentown Cem. The transition from the high forest preserve to the lower agricultural and residential lands near Beaver Lake is traced through an intricate network of local roads such as Sahler Mill Road and Whispell Road.