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1949 Map of Fort Wilkins

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Fort Wilkins
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1949
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1949

About this map

Old Fort Wilkins stands as a primary historical anchor on this northern tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, situated between the cold waters of Lake Superior and the elongated basin of Lake Fanny Hooe. The 1940s landscape is defined by the transition from maritime navigation at the Copper Harbor Lighthouse to the interior industrial legacy of the Copper Country. Evidence of the region’s mineral history is visible on the slopes of the East Bluff, where an Abandoned Copper Mine is recorded south of the main harbor area.

Water dominates the geography, from the protected inlet of Horseshoe Harbor to a network of inland lakes including Copper Lake, Hoar Lake, and Lost Lake. The map details the drainage of Vulcan Creek and the Montreal River, illustrating the complex topography that shaped early 19th-century military life and subsequent mining exploration. A single Telephone Line cutting through the eastern woods toward Bay Lake represents the sparse infrastructure connecting these remote coastal points.