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1960 Map of Lake Polly

Name: 1960 Topographic Map of Lake Polly
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1986
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1986

About this map

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness dominates this landscape, showing a complex network of glacial lakes and waterways within the Superior National Forest as they appeared in 1960. The hydrography is particularly dense, with the Kawishiwi River winding through the terrain, connecting water bodies like Kivaniva Lake and Shoveller Lake. The map serves as a detailed record of this protected wilderness area before later recreational shifts, capturing the exact positions of numerous small, distinctively named lakes such as Humpback Lake and Whopper Lake.

The boundary between Lake County and Cook County bisects the eastern portion of the map, passing through John Ek Lake and near Pointer Lake. Apart from a few unimproved roads, the area is characterized by its lack of permanent settlements, reflecting its status as a remote wilderness region. Many of the lake names, from Kickshaw Lake to Sora Lake, provide a specific nomenclature for the region's interconnected portage and paddle routes used by outdoor enthusiasts and conservationists during the mid-20th century.