1968 Map of Birchdale SW

About this map

The Red Lake Indian Reservation dominates this northern Minnesota landscape, where extensive wetlands and dense woodlands are crisscrossed by a network of seasonal passages. Surveyed in the late 1960s, the terrain is defined by the Pine Island State Forest and a series of hydrological features including the Wing River and McCloud Creek. The region’s reliance on specialized transportation is evident in the numerous segments of the Winter Trail, which provide access through the swampy lowlands when the ground is frozen. Human activity is largely confined to natural resource extraction, as indicated by a Sandpit in the north and a Gravel Pit further south. Near the eastern boundary, Lost Lake sits as a lonely water body within the sprawling timber and marsh system of Koochiching County.