1963 Map of Frankenmuth

About this map

The Cass River winds through the heart of the Saginaw Valley, anchoring a landscape defined by its German heritage and intensive agricultural drainage. This early 1960s survey documents the community of Frankenmuth as it maintains its traditional core, featuring local landmarks like St Lorenz Sch and the High School. The surrounding townships of Birch Run, Tuscola, and Arbela are crisscrossed by an intricate network of man-made waterways, such as the Hammond Drain, List Drain, and Schluckbier Drain, which were essential for converting the low-lying terrain into productive farmland. Smaller settlements like Tuscola and Hadstadt appear alongside family-named roads and rural institutions. Significant historical markers, including the Old Indian Treaty Boundary Road, highlight the 19th-century surveying foundations that still dictated the region's movement and property lines a century later.