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1894 Map of Wilkesbarre

Name: 1894 Topographic Map of Wilkesbarre
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1907
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1907

About this map

The Susquehanna River corridor and its surrounding anthracite heights dominate this late nineteenth-century survey, revealing a landscape defined by coal and complex transport. The northern reach is anchored by industrial hubs like Plymouth, Nanticoke, and Ashley, where the Bloomsburg Division D. L. & W. R. R. and C. R. R. of N. J. lines intersect. A dense network of collieries and patches, including Moffatt Patch and Sugar Notch, traces the base of Wilkesbarre Mountain.

Southward, the terrain transitions to the high plateaus of Wright and Dennison, where the economy shifted toward timber and tanning. This is evidenced by Lehigh Tannery and White Haven along the Lehigh River. The map meticulously details several steep-grade rail branches, such as the Hazleton Br. serving Freeland and Drifton, and the isolated Glen Summit resort atop the divide. The presence of Plymouth Ferry and the Tunnel near Moosehead illustrates the engineering required to bridge these ridge-and-valley obstacles during the Pennsylvania coal boom.