1891 Map of Wilkes-Barre

About this map

The anthracite coal region of the Wyoming Valley comes alive in this late nineteenth-century survey, dominated by the Susquehanna River and a dense network of competing rail lines. Heavy industrial footprints are evident in the clustering of collieries and company patches, such as Moffatt Patch and Oliver Mills, which supported the growing urban centers of Wilkes Barre and Nanticoke. The complex geography of the region is defined by the sharp ridges of Wilkes Barre Mountain and Penobscot Mountain, which forced railroads like the Lehigh Valley R. R. and the C. R. R. of N. J. to navigate steep grades through locations like Glen Summit.