Sandborn Maps

I chose to look at Sturgis. That is the closest city to where I live and the one I'm most familiar with. One of the things that stuck out to me was the growth of Sturgis from 1885 to 1891. In 6 years, the city seemed to almost triple, if not more. And basically from then on the town just kept on growing and getting denser. That was over 100 years ago. I expect that kind of growth now but back then? Wow!

 I'm sure Main Street is full of building that have been around since then but I personally couldn't pick one out that I knew for sure was that old. I'm also sure there are many houses but I couldn't say exactly which ones. I could zoom in and around the maps and if I was really familiar I'm sure it would be much more exciting. I'll have to locate an old building next time I'm in town and try to find it on the map.

There is a Sanborn Map legend that explains the various types of construction, types of structures, their "fireproofness"  and a glossary as well as an index on each map that explains the symbols. It would be very interesting to see the maps in color to see all the various materials used.