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1973 Map of Mercer

Name: 1973 Topographic Map of Mercer
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1976
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1976

About this map

Mercer serves as the central hub of this northern Wisconsin landscape, situated at a major bend in the Chicago and North Western railroad line. The town is surrounded by a dense network of glacial lakes and waterways, including Grand Portage Lake, San Domingo Lake, and Echo Lake. These water bodies are connected by the Turtle River, which winds through the northwestern section of the map. To the east, the Highland State Forest and Iron Co. Forest indicate the heavy timber presence that defined the region’s development.

Evidence of the area's infrastructure and community life is found in the Mercer Cem, the Lookout Tower overlooking Rice Lake, and several Gravel Pits reflecting local industry. The map captures the era when the railroad still actively shaped the town's orientation, alongside an Old Railroad Grade that hints at evolving transportation patterns. This 1973 survey records a landscape where recreation and resource management meet at the headwaters of the Manitowish River.