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1956 Map of Mesick

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Mesick
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1966
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1966

About this map

The Manistee River winds through the heart of this mid-1950s Wexford County landscape, passing under Harvey Bridge and Baxter Bridge as it flows toward the Hodenpyl Dam Pond. This era shows a rural Michigan interior defined by small timber and rail settlements, many of which were already seeing shifts in their landscape. The Ann Arbor RR corridor serves as a primary axis for towns like Mesick, Harrietta, and Boon, while the surrounding forest land is managed under the Fife Lake State Forest and Manistee National Forest.

Genealogists will find significant value in the documentation of numerous rural institutions, including the Antioch Ch, Colfax Ch, and the Millersville Sch. The map also captures the footprints of older sites such as the Cornell Sch (Abandoned) and McNett Seb (Abandoned). Recreational history is visible at Briar Hill, which features a Briar Hill Ski Jump, signaling the area's development as a destination for winter sports during the mid-twentieth century.