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1951 Map of Pekin

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Pekin
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1953
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1953

About this map

Pekin sits at the heart of this early 1950s survey, serving as a vital rail stop along the Great Northern railroad in Nelson County. The landscape is defined by the transition from the high, open terrain of Osago and Hamlin townships down to the deeply incised valley of the Sheyenne River in the south. The presence of a Town Hall and multiple rural schoolhouses, including School No 1 and School No 11, points to a well-established community of farmsteads linked by a grid of prairie roads.

To the northwest, the map captures the southern shoreline of Stump Lake, where Memorial Park and a local Gravel Pit highlight the dual uses of the lakefront for recreation and industry. The winding course of the Sheyenne River contrasts with the straight-line precision of the township boundaries like Bergen and Nesheim, illustrating how the early settlers adapted their commerce and transportation to the region's natural hydrology and glacial geology.