1942 Map of Marcus

About this map

The Kettle River defines the geography of northern Stevens County, carving through the mountainous terrain of the Colville National Forest before joining the Columbia. In the years just before the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam would permanently alter this river valley, settlements like Marcus and Pingston remained focused on the Great Northern rail line and local industry. The map documents a rugged landscape punctuated by early pioneer infrastructure, including the Old Catholic Mission near Kettle Falls and a series of high-altitude camps such as Midget Cr Camp and Snowshoe Camp. Mineral extraction is a prominent theme, with the First Thought Mine, Big Iron Mine, and Gold Reef Mine scattered across the eastern peaks. Local education was decentralized, as evidenced by several remote schoolhouses like Kelly Hill Sch and Greenwood Sch serving the rural communities and cabins of the valley floor.