Loading map...

1970 Map of Ceylon

Name: 1970 Topographic Map of Ceylon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1972
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1972

About this map

The town of Ceylon anchors this 1970 survey of the border region between Martin County, Minnesota, and Emmet County, Iowa. The landscape is defined by its complex hydrology and agricultural drainage, featuring the East Fork Des Moines River and a chain of natural water bodies including Susan Lake, Fish Lake, and Clear Lake. Notable for local historians is the depiction of several former lake basins, specifically the Manyaska Lakebed and Smith Lakebed, which illustrate the long-term modification of the prairie landscape for farming.

Genealogists can locate several local burial grounds, such as Lone Cedar Cem, Lake Belt Cem, and Ellsworth Cem. Transportation history is preserved through the route of the Chicago and North Western railroad and an abandoned Old Grade in the east. The southern edge of the map identifies the Ceylon State Wildlife Management Areas and Dutton Slough, highlighting the area's transition into protected wetlands and marshes.