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1947 Map of Kiernan

Name: 1947 Topographic Map of Kiernan
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1947
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1947

About this map

The Michigamme Reservoir dominates this Iron County landscape, its sprawling reach flooding the confluence of the Fence River and the Michigamme River. Established during the wartime mobilization of the mid-1940s, the reservoir and the Way Dam represent a significant transformation of the local hydrology for hydroelectric power. Along the southern shore, the settlement of Kiernan serves as a small focal point near the Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific rail line, which cuts an east-west path across the map.

Beyond the engineered waters, the terrain remains characterized by glacial kettle lakes and wetlands, including Moccasin Lake and Lake Ellen. The area is largely managed as the Iron State Game Area, with prominent landmarks like Michigamme Mtn providing vertical relief against the winding Margeson Creek and Threemile Creek. This survey captures the region just as the new reservoir was reshaping the Upper Peninsula's interior.