Old roads

[RoofingNails]

I was wondering if anyone could help me out. I have noticed that on old (1940s and '50s) aerial photos and topo maps, dirt roads often will split in two for maybe 100 feet and then join back up. Does anyone know why? My best guess is maybe frequent standing water on the main road.

 

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[mcl]

Hey there. I'd love to help you out with this question but I can't seem to find any examples of what you're talking about exactly. If you want to post a specific example, I may be able to help you in determining the cause of the road split.

On a general level, we obviously have to look at the fact that any time a road splits in two and then recombines, it is because the road could not have or should not have crossed through something in land contained within the split. There could be a whole host of reasons, particularly in the days in which makeshift and/or unpaved roads were more common. Sometimes a road split for residential reasons -- such as access to both sides of a strip of properties. Other times they split to follow two separate topographic elevations (e.g., one follows a rising hill, the other travels around the bottom). Sometimes it was simply easier to drive around an obstacle than clear it out -- like a small grove, for example.

One thing to keep in mind is that topographic maps tend to be really good at reflecting even very small areas that are prone to flooding, and they are clearly noted as such (e.g., dots or hashmarks inside a colored border). There is another thread which I answered where this was the case. If the areas you are describing are prone to water accumulation, you should be able to tell from the topo maps.

If you want to post an example or refer me to a map containing examples, I can try to figure out the specific instance for you.

 

[RoofingNails]

NETR Online ? Historic Aerials this is an example. See how the road splits off to the side? Thanks for taking a look.

 

[mcl]

NETR Online ? Historic Aerials this is an example. See how the road splits off to the side? Thanks for taking a look.

NETR Online ? Historic Aerials this is an example. See how the road splits off to the side? Thanks for taking a look.

Alright, here's the scoop.

Exhibit A shows lot lines in red and highlight the road "split" in yellow. The right side of the road is basically north-south. Notice how that part of the fork follows the lot lines. This would have been used to access the farming fields you see on the east and west of the road. Now, note that the "split" occurs on an unfarmed lot (or at least an unfarmed section of a larger lot).

View attachment 1171128

Why is the left branch of the fork shaped like that? Well, taking a look at a topographic map gives a clue: the branch is following the edge of a slight elevation grade which is higher on the west side of the fork by just a bit. Consider this a way of following the path of least resistance.

View attachment 1171129

Now remembering that any time a road goes around something, there's a reason, we have to ask what that reason is. Clearly there was something that needed to be traveled around rather than through -- but whatever it was, it wasn't very big. Unfortunately, the aerial photos from that year and the other proximate time offered on that website don't show enough detail for us to see what it was. There are some trees, but that doesn't make much sense, because they aren't orderly like you'd expect to see in an orchard. No reason to swing farm equipment out there for tree access. It also wasn't a turnaround -- note that the paths which split from the main trail show one-way travel only. The real clue as to what was probably going on here is modern aerial photography of what is there now.

View attachment 1171130

Hey look! The rough shape of that spot is still here. But it doesn't look very wet -- so it probably doesn't get waterlogged enough to represent a serious problem. We also didn't see any swamp or inundation markers in the topographic map. It is however quite flat -- which means it's good for building stuff. And wouldn't you know, they built a park structure on it! It's not the first one to be built there either. Just to the north, we see a watertower. This makes a lot of sense -- it is almost the highest elevation point in the area where tree clearing would not be necessary, and it is on flat land so, again, great for building.

Now lets see whether we can spot signs of building in the 60s aerial photography. Aha! There you have it -- evidence of construction in that spot. Note the circular region which is quite clear.

View attachment 1171131

One more time travel to the 90s aerial photography. Same exact spot, there's a building and even a small parking lot.

View attachment 1171132

So to answer your question: the fork was definitely in place to provide access to all sides of that little flat area, where small structures have been constructed for the last 65+ years, at least. The structures have changed from time to time, but back then, it may have been a central location for a grain container, water tank, or gas tank. Today, it provides a flat area in which park-related structures have been built.

Hope that helps.

mcl

 

[RoofingNails]

Thanks for all the great info man! Attachments were not working for me, but I was able to follow from your description.

 

[mcl]

No problem my friend. Sorry the attachments didn't work out for you -- I just clicked them and they're working on my end. Glad you were able to see the stuff I was talking about though. As a side note, if you choose to hunt that particular location, be careful. It appears there is a gas pipeline running under it these days.

Let me know if I can be of any further service. I like solving map-mysteries since it is one of the few topics on t-net where I'm not always the one asking the question.

mcl

 

[gigispop7]

cool overlay .like that.