1974 Map of Orleans

About this map

The Soo Line railway cuts diagonally through this northwestern corner of Minnesota, anchoring the small settlement of Orleans in the early 1970s. This survey captures a landscape defined by the international border, where the Canada United States boundary meets the northern edge of Kittson Co. The terrain is characterized by the meandering path of the Little Joe River and the conservation lands of the Joe River State Wildlife Area, providing a distinct contrast to the surrounding agricultural grid of Clow, Richardville, Hampden, and Granville townships. The presence of a major Pipeline and a local Gravel Pit indicates the industrial and infrastructural footprint on this prairie landscape just south of Manitoba. For those studying the Red River Valley region, the map provides precise locations for local roads and section lines that have shaped the rural communities of northern Kittson County for generations.