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1931 Map of Freesoil SW

Name: 1931 Topographic Map of Freesoil SW
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1931
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1931

About this map

Small settlements and rural schoolhouses anchor this Depression-era landscape in northern Michigan, where the village of Freesoil and the town of Fountain serve as primary hubs along the Pere Marquette railroad. The terrain is defined by a dense network of glacial water bodies, from the prominent Gun Lake and Blue Lake to the meandering course of the Big Sable River and the various forks of the Lincoln River.

Evidence of a distributed rural community is found in the frequent placement of local school districts, including Howell Sch, Bennett Sch, and Beebe Sch. These institutions, alongside family-named landmarks like Williams Lake and Roderick Lake, suggest a period of established homesteads and small-scale agriculture before the consolidation of modern school systems. The presence of the Frog Marsh and Grass Lake indicates the varied wetlands that dictated the placement of roads and rail lines across this section of Mason County.