1950 Map of Mc Kinley

About this map

The Laurentian Divide carves across this landscape, marking the geological crest where waters split their journey toward either the Arctic or the Atlantic. This survey captures the Iron Range at a pivotal mid-century moment, showing the heavy industrial footprint of the Duluth Missabe and Iron Range railroad serving the mining operations around McKinley and Biwabik. The map reveals the juxtaposition of the extraction industry and the wilderness, with the southern boundary of the Superior National Forest and the peaks of Pike Mountain and Missabe Mountain rising near expansive mine dumps. Local settlements like Belgrade, Franklin, and Florenton are clearly delineated, along with smaller community markers such as the Florenton Cem and the Town Hall, providing essential details for those tracing the human and industrial history of this northern Minnesota mining corridor.