Loading map...

1950 Map of Mc Kinley

Name: 1950 Topographic Map of Mc Kinley
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1960
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

The industrial corridor of the Mesabi Range is clearly defined in this 1950 field-checked study, where the Duluth Missabe and Iron Range railroad snakes through the terrain to serve mining operations. Settlement patterns are concentrated around the extraction sites at McKinley, Elcor, and Belgrade, while the Laurentian Divide cuts across the center, separating the northern waters of the Pike River from the southern industrial landscape. The map captures a moment when mining infrastructure was deeply integrated into local geography, showing significant mine dumps and specialized sites like the Corsica Mine.

Beyond the industrial zones, the northern half of the quadrangle transitions into the Superior National Forest, anchored by Pike Mountain and its Lookout Tower. Evidence of early community life is visible at the Town Hall and Florentine Cem, providing essential points of interest for genealogists tracing families from the iron-mining era. The presence of Belgrade Cave and White Lake near the active mining sites highlights the proximity of natural features to the heavy earth-moving activities of the mid-century.