Historic Aerial Photographs

PYZedd · **Posted:** Sun May 19, 2013 10:50 pm

If anyone is interested in researching where the rail lines were in the old days, check out http://www.pennpilot.psu.edu for aerial photos of PENNSYLVANIA. The photos were done for agriculture research and cover most of PA and are dated in groups '37 to'42 and mid '50's and a later group 60's/70's. Resolution is grainy but following tracks is pretty easy. Resolution is decent enough to see round houses and other structures in railyards. Pix can be downloaded (best) or just viewed (movement is restrictive). Check it out! ..... John - PYZedd

junior · **Posted:** Mon May 20, 2013 3:50 am

This is also a good source, at least in many cases, of finding good aerial photography over many areas....though it can vary, depending on the photos taken, it gives you a broad spectrum of time frame for many of the more "populous" areas....

http://www.historicaerials.com/

Both are good sites!

HudsonL · **Joined:** Mon May 24, 2010 10:22 am **Posts:** 548

Both Minnesota

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/landview/index.html

and

Wisconsin

http://maps.sco.wisc.edu/WHAIFinder/

have Historic Aerial Photos online.

Also Minnesota has 2 meter LIDAR coming, great for following abandoned logging lines.

-Hudson

Al Stangenberger · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 12:59 pm **Posts:** 650

Recently, I had to find historical maps showing railroads in Pacific Grove, CA.

I just learned from the U.S. Geological Survey that their on-line store is a very easy way to find and download these maps. You can either search by feature name, or zoom in and mark a map.

Quote:

In future if you have to answer a question such as that in your example, I suggest you go directly to the USGS Store at [store.usgs.gov] and click on the Map Locator and Download link. You can type a place name, such as Pacific Grove, CA, click Go to display all of the current and historical maps for the Monterey quad. In this case the maps date back to 1913. Using the Store is a little easier if you want to see all the maps covering a specific area.

Ron Travis · **Joined:** Sun May 15, 2005 2:22 pm **Posts:** 1543

I have looked at this site for Minnesota: http://www.historicaerials.com/

The only problem is that the resolution is so poor that it prevents about half of what I am trying to accomplish by looking at the map. I have seen hard copy aerial maps from the 1940-60 era, and they are razor sharp.

I had assumed that the online maps were low resolution because they do sell copies, and it would make sense to display low resolution online and then provide high resolution for purchase. But I contacted them by phone and was told that what they sell is no better resolution than what is displayed online. The purchased copies only differ from the online display in that they don’t have the watermark.