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1963 Map of Backus Lake

Name: 1963 Topographic Map of Backus Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1979
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1979

About this map

The Backus Creek State Game Area and Houghton Lake State Forest dominate this mid-century landscape in Roscommon County, characterized by an intricate network of wetlands and managed water levels. The presence of multiple flooding zones, including Little Mud Lake Flooding, Backus Creek Flooding, and Denton Creek Flooding, illustrates the mid-20th-century focus on wildlife habitat management and water control in Michigan's lower peninsula.

Glacial terrain features like Ninemile Hill rise above the surrounding Swamp, while bodies of water such as Backus Lake, Lake St Helen, and the small Kingdom Hall church provide markers of human geography within the preserve. The course of Denton Creek and its North Branch further define the drainage patterns of this protected territory, offering a look at the region's hydrological state before later developments or ecological shifts.