1947 Map of Kiernan

About this map

The Michigamme Reservoir dominates this 1940s landscape in Iron County, illustrating the significant hydrological engineering within the Iron State Game Area. This vast water body, created by the Way Dam, submerged parts of the Upper Peninsula wilderness, though the older course of the Fence River remains visible as it feeds into the northern reaches. The settlement of Kiernan serves as a small anchor along the southern rail corridor, where the Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific railroad cuts through the timberlands. The terrain is defined by a dense network of smaller basins like Lake Ellen, Butler Lake, and Moccasin Lake, punctuated by the rise of Michigamme Mtn. This period captures the region as a managed wilderness, balancing industrial rail transport with the recreational and conservation mandates of the state game lands.