1954 Map of Big Bay

About this map

Big Bay sits on the rocky shores of Lake Superior in the mid-1950s, serving as a focal point for this Marquette County coastal landscape. The map illustrates a transitional period for the area, where the vast wilderness of the Escanaba River State Forest meets the developed shoreline. A notable lighthouse stands at Big Bay Point, marking the entrance to the bay and the sheltered waters of Lake Independence. To the south and west, the terrain rises into the highlands of Powell and Ishpeming, where the Yellow Dog River and Iron River carve through the forest. Small signs of local industry and community life appear through labels for gravel pits, the Community Ch, and Alder Cem, while the settlement of Homer lies further inland along the river network.