1919 Map of Canada

About this map

Lake of the Woods and the Rainy River District define this international border landscape at the close of the Great War. Compiled for military use, the map highlights the intricate shoreline and navigational hazards of the Sable Islands and Four Mile Bay, where a Bell Buoy and several L.H. lighthouse markers guided vessel traffic. The survey captures a moment when large-scale drainage projects, such as Jud. Ditch 28 and the Branch 4 Judicial Ditch 28, were actively reshaping the marshy Wheelock township for settlement. Within the interior, a solitary School and various timbered zones indicate the early encroachment of rural development into the northern wilderness. These details provide a look at the infrastructure of the borderlands before the mid-century expansion of modern roadways.