1918 Map of Acton

About this map

The Red River snakes a complex, meandering path through this 1918 military compilation, defining the border between Walsh Co North Dakota and Marshall Co Minnesota. The landscape is dominated by riverine hydrology, with the Snake River, Tamarac River, and Middle River all converging toward the Red River basin. This survey captures a moment of established rural settlement before significant 20th-century consolidation, marking numerous dispersed one-room schools and several community hubs. Local history is anchored at St. Andrews, Acton, and Bigwoods, which are noted alongside discontinued post offices, indicating a shifting postal and commercial geography at the time. An extensive network of drainage projects, including Co. Ditch No 7 and Jud. Ditch No 9, reflects the intensive efforts to manage the Red River Valley's flat, often swampy terrain for agricultural use.