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1954 Map of Albert Lea

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of Albert Lea
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1956
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1956

About this map

Albert Lea serves as a major regional hub in the mid-1950s, defined by its intricate lakes and a dense network of competing railroads. The landscape is characterized by the expansive Albert Lea Lake and Fountain Lake, with the Myre State Park shoreline beginning to take shape to the east. Five different rail lines, including the Illinois Central and the Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific, converge on the city, illustrating the area's importance as a transportation corridor.

Beyond the urban center, the map reveals a rural landscape dotted with local institutions like Central Ch and numerous one-room schoolhouses such as Norby Sch and Nelson Sch. The Shell Rock River flows south toward the Minnesota Iowa border, passing the settlement of Glenville and its associated Glenville Cem. This survey provides a look at Freeborn County before the expansion of modern interstate systems altered these traditional township transit patterns.