1951 Map of Babbitt SW

About this map

The industrial infrastructure of the Erie Mining Company Railroad dominates the northern half of this landscape, carving through the dense woodlands within the Superior National Forest. While much of the terrain is defined by the marshy lowlands of the Partridge River and its tributary, the South Branch Partridge River, the map documents the growing reach of the Babbitt Corporate Boundary as it extends into the wilderness. The intersection of resource extraction and preservation is clear, as rail lines for the taconite industry bypass small water bodies like Stone Lake and drainage ways such as Cranberry Cr and Colvin Creek. This survey, originally conducted in the early 1950s and updated with mid-1980s aerial data, provides a look at the expansion of the Mesabi Range mining economy into the town of Bassett and the surrounding forest.