1960 Map of Lake Polly

About this map

The Kawishiwi River and Louse River wind through a dense lakeland landscape within the Superior National Forest and Minnesota State Forest. This 1960 field-checked survey reveals an intricate network of waterways at the boundary of Lake County and Cook County. The terrain is defined by its glacial morphology, with distinctively named bodies of water such as Kivandeba Lake, Kivaniva Lake, and Humpback Lake scattered across the wilderness. The map is notable for its bathymetric data, with depth curves compiled by the Minnesota Department of Conservation, providing a rare subsurface perspective of lakes like Pan Lake and Cowan Lake. This era represents a period of intensive resource management by the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Commission, documented here before modern development or renaming of these remote northern waters.