Loading map...

1918 Map of Brainerd

Name: 1918 Topographic Map of Brainerd
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1918
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1918

About this map

The Mississippi River winds through the heart of this Crow Wing County landscape, anchoring the bustling rail hub of Brainerd. During this era of early 20th-century expansion, the city serves as a critical junction for the Northern Pacific and the Minnesota International railroads. To the north, the terrain transitions into a dense network of glacial lakes including Lake Edward, Bass Lake, and Gladstone Lake, where small settlements like Merrifield and Riverton have begun to take root alongside the timber and mining interests of the region.

Rural life is meticulously documented through a numbered school system, with locations such as School No 35 and School No 57 serving the dispersed farmsteads and lakeside communities. Beyond the main settlements, the map identifies smaller enclaves like Woodrow and Barrows, while tracing the course of Buffalo Creek and Gilbert Lake. The intricate survey captures the area before modern development, showing the original shorelines and the early industrial footprint of the railways that defined the county's growth.