Loading map...

1986 Map of Litchfield

Name: 1986 Topographic Map of Litchfield
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1990
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1990

About this map

Litchfield serves as a central hub for this mid-1980s landscape, where the agricultural plains of Central Minnesota are punctuated by an immense density of glacial lakes and managed wildlife areas. The corridor of US Highway 12 and the Burlington Northern Railroad links established grain and trade centers like Dassel, Cokato, and Darwin. The map reveals a highly structured conservation network, with dozens of sites such as the Zion State Wildlife Management Area and Burbank State Wildlife Management Area preserving the prairie-pothole ecology between working farms.

Water dominates the north and west, from the sprawling Lake Koronis and Green Lake to the meandering courses of the Middle Fork Crow River and North Fork Crow River. Smaller settlements like Forest City and Manannah appear as quiet rural junctions, while the northeastern corner shows the growth of Cold Spring and Rockville along the granite-rich terrain near the Sauk River valley. This survey captures the region's character as a balance of industrial rail transport and extensive public land preservation.