1970 Map of Backus

About this map

Pine Mountain Lake dominates the central landscape of this Cass County region, its eastern shore serving as the anchor for the town of Backus. This early 1970s survey illustrates a community deeply integrated with its surrounding woods and waters, where the Burlington Northern railroad corridor runs parallel to the lakefront, passing the Backus Municipal Airport and the Evergreen Cem. The western half of the map is defined by the dense wetlands and rolling terrain of the Deerfield State Forest, a wilderness area dotted with smaller water bodies like Lee Lake, Deer Lake, and Long Lake. This area was overseen from the Pine Mountain Lookout Tower, which provided a critical vantage point over the forest canopy. To the south, the landscape shifts toward the Pine River and the marshes of Bull Moose, showing the transition from managed forest to the riparian systems that feed the northern lakes.