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1955 Map of Hog Island

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Hog Island
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1973
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1973

About this map

The remote archipelago of northeastern Lake Michigan is captured here in the mid-1950s, centered on the wooded expanses of Hog Island and Garden Island. Much of the land is designated as part of the Pigeon River State Forest, showing a landscape defined more by its natural harbors and dangerous shoals than by human settlement. The map detail highlights the complex shoreline and surrounding hazards, from the expansive Mille Coquins Reefs in the north to the smaller satellites like Hat Island, Shoe Island, and Pismire Island to the south and east.

Maritime navigation is the primary focus, with soundings and bottom characteristics noting features like Fagan Reef and Garden Island Shoal. Sheltered waters such as Garden Island Harbor, Baltimore Bay, and Sturgeon Bay offer natural refuges within the St James Twp jurisdiction. The presence of trails and scattered clearings on the larger islands indicates seasonal use or forestry activity during this era, while the surrounding reefs underscore the isolation of these Lake Michigan outposts.