1915 Map of Brainerd

About this map

The Mississippi River winds through the heart of Crow Wing County, anchoring the regional hub of Brainerd during a period of significant rail-driven growth. Surveyed in 1914 and 1915, this map captures the dense network of rural infrastructure supporting the outlying townships of Maple Grove and Oak Lawn. A staggering number of numbered country schoolhouses, such as School No 57 and School No 4, are scattered across the landscape, marking the established rural communities of the era. The presence of the Minnesota Northern Pacific railroad connects the primary settlement with smaller outposts like Merrifield, Riverton, and Barrows. Extensive glacial water bodies, including the sprawling Long Lake and Lake Edward, dominate the northern and eastern portions of the quadrangle, illustrating the complex hydrology that influenced early settlement patterns and transport routes before modern highway development.