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1952 Map of Palmer

Name: 1952 Topographic Map of Palmer
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1954
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1954

About this map

Iron mining operations dominate the landscape of the Negaunee and Palmer area in the early 1950s, where complex networks of pits and shafts define the local economy. The northern reaches of the sheet are anchored by the Athens Mine and Tracy Mine, while the central area near Palmer reveals the New Volunteer Mine and both the Old Richmond Mine and New Richmond Mine. This industrial footprint is intertwined with a transport system of the Chicago and North Western and the Duluth South Shore and Atlantic railroads, which hauled ore from these excavations through the Wewe Hills.

Social landmarks are concentrated in the valleys, such as the Standard Sch near the city boundary and the Finnish Ch located further south along Warner Creek. The natural drainage of the region, including Goose Lake, Lake Gribben, and the East Branch Escanaba River, provides a stark contrast to the heavy industrial activity visible in the gravel pits and tailings dumps that mark this era of Michigan's mining history.