1931 Map of Gilchrist NW

About this map

Gilchrist stands as a focal point in this 1930s survey of the Upper Peninsula, situated at the junction of critical transit corridors. The Minneapolis St Paul and Sault Ste Marie railroad and its companion Minneapolis St Paul and Sault Ste Marie Highway cut across the southern landscape, following a path through Garfield and Pentland townships. This era of mapping, compiled in part from Air Corps aerial photographs, reveals a complex network of wetlands and small water bodies. The drainage patterns are defined by the North Branch Cold Creek and South Branch Cold Creek, which meander through the timbered reaches toward the Black River. Numerous small lakes, including Dunmore Lake, Pullup Lake, and the aptly named Cranberry Lake, dot the glacial terrain, illustrating the water-rich geography of the Luce and Mackinac county border.