1963 Map of Dead Coon Lake

About this map

The town of Tyler sits at the intersection of rail and road in this 1963 survey of the Minnesota prairie. The landscape is defined by the Chicago and North Western railway, which cuts across the southwestern corner and skirts the southern edges of Hope and Shelburn e townships. This era shows a heavily managed hydrological system, with Judicial Ditch No 31, Jud Ditch No 29, and Co Ditch No 7 draining the land toward the Redwood River and Coon Creek. These features reflect the mid-century agricultural necessity of diverting water from the region's numerous glacial basins, including Dead Coon Lake, Lake Stay, and Wood Lake. Genealogists will find the locations of local burials well-marked at St Dionysius Cem, Hope Cem, and Mission Cem, while industrial activity is noted at a local Gravel Pit.