1976 Map of Hart NW

About this map

Lake Michigan dominates the western edge of this 1976 orthophotoquad, where the shifting sands of Little Point Sable meet the shoreline. This aerial perspective reveals a unique transitional landscape where coastal dunes transition into the agricultural grid of Oceana County. The inland waters of Silver Lake are clearly defined, showing the proximity of these freshwater basins to the Great Lakes coast. Further east, the small settlement of Mears appears as a distinct cluster within the network of farm fields and woodlots, providing a clear look at rural land use and development patterns in the mid-1970s. This photographic survey, captured in May 1976, provides a direct visual record of the shoreline and dunes before later decades of environmental change and local expansion.