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1968 Map of Birchdale SW

Name: 1968 Topographic Map of Birchdale SW
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1987
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1987

About this map

Pine Island State Forest and the Red Lake Indian Reservation define this remote northern landscape near the Canadian border. The 1968 topography, based on photogrammetric methods from 1966, reveals a complex network of wetlands and drainage patterns including McCloud Creek and the Wing River. The map captures a moment before modern infrastructure, where seasonal access via the Winter Trail was essential for navigating the forest and reservation lands.

Evidence of local resource extraction is visible in scattered extraction sites like the Sandpit and Gravel Pit, providing materials for the region's limited road network. The presence of Lost Lake and various forest boundaries highlights the intersection of state managed timberlands and indigenous territory. This survey is a detailed record of land management and natural hydrography in Koochiching County during the late 1960s.