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1947 Map of Wilkes-Barre West

Name: 1947 Topographic Map of Wilkes-Barre West
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1958
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

The anthracite coal industry's influence is evident across this 1947 landscape, where industrial infrastructure and dense residential settlements crowd the valley of the Susquehanna River. Extensive clusters of Strip Mine and Mine Dump labels trace the extraction economy from Plymouth and Larksville down through Nanticoke. The transportation network is remarkably complex, featuring the Central RR of New Jersey, Pennsylvania RR, and the Wilkes-Barre Connecting RR serving the colliery towns.

South of the industrial corridor, the terrain rises sharply toward Penobscot Mountain and Wilkes-Barre Mountain, where the character shifts to rural hamlets and recreation. Local genealogy is well-preserved in the numerous cemeteries like Oak Lawn Cemetery and community centers such as Meyers High Sch and St Martins Ch. The southern reaches show a quieter era of small crossings like Vandermark Corners and the waters of Nuangola Lake.