1962 Map of Medford East

About this map

The Straight River corridor serves as the industrial and transit spine of this Minnesota landscape, where three major rail lines converge. The Chicago and North Western, Chicago Rock Island and Pacific, and Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific railroads track alongside the river, supporting the developed centers of Medford and Clinton Falls. This 1962 survey reveals a transition from these concentrated rail hubs to the sprawling agricultural townships of Walcott, Richland, and Merton. Local history is preserved in a network of rural schoolhouses and burial grounds, such as School No 2086, Rock Sch, and the Union Cem. Away from the main river valley, the terrain is drained by a complex system of creeks, including Crane Creek, Rush Creek, and the engineered County Ditch No 18, illustrating the intensive land management common in Rice and Steele Counties during this era.