Birds Eye View of Casco Bay: Portland, Maine and Surroundings

This marvelous chromolithographed view presents a detailed aerial perspective, looking east over Maine’s Casco Bay towards Mt. Washington and the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Portland sits prominently on a peninsula in the lower left, with steamship lines emanating from the harbor and connecting to various points across the bay and beyond. Railroad routes are highlighted in red, stretching into the sparsely populated interior. Various geographic features, settlements, and locations of interest are labeled throughout the attractive image. The map was copyrighted in 1906 by George H. Walker & Company of Boston. Published by the associated firm of Walker Litho. & Co. on behalf of the Eastern News Company of Portland, Maine. At the time of issue, the Casco Bay area was thriving with Gilded Age tourist destinations – amusement parks, resorts, fishing lodges, and more. Industry remained an important element of the local economy, but the smokestacks of local mills, railways, and manufacturers were overlooked in favor of calm blue waters and rolling countryside.