The map below, from 1884, shows the planned line of the new Croton Aqueduct from the reservoir on the right (to the north) to New York City on the left. The new aqueduct runs on a much straighter line than the old, which required more tunneling, and therefore reflects the more accomplished and better-tooled engineering and construction world of the 1880s compared to the 1830s and 40s. That’s nice, but let’s talk about this map…
First, you don’t often see maps that attempt to show both the scale of city streets and large amounts of the surrounding area. In this case we’ve got the full north-south extent of Westchester County, NYC’s immediate suburbs to the north, although not the full east-west width. For example, the fact that the city of Yonkers is comparable in size to Manhattan island is shown nicely.
Second, in 1884, New York had competed its first off-island annexation, gobbling up what is now the west Bronx, from the Bronx River to the Hudson. It’s the mainland area next to Manhattan and bounded in pink, and called out as the 23rd and 24th wards. What would later become the east Bronx is the town of West Chester (totally different than the county of Westchester, in which it was located) and the southern edge of the town of East Chester.
Third, the abrupt northern edge for the dense Manhattan street grid is 155th Street, the original northern boundary of the Commissioners Plan for the streets. As you can see, some street layout north of 155th had begun by the 1880s, but it was not yet fully fleshed out.
Fourth: I tend of think of reservoirs as looking like natural lakes in plan, which is to say roundish blobs. Croton reservoir looks like exactly what it is: a steep river valley flooded by being dammed at its outlet.
Finally, I’ve made it through over 300 words without making a joke about the fact that the Chief Engineer of the city’s Department of Public Works was named Isaac Newton. I think I’ll quit while I’m ahead.
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