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1895 Map of Perch Lake

Name: 1895 Topographic Map of Perch Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1925
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1925

About this map

Perch Lake anchors this Upper Peninsula wilderness, located at the meeting point of several early townships and county borders. The landscape is defined by its complex hydrology, where the Perch River, North Branch Net River, and the southern Paint River carve through the timberlands. During this late 19th-century era, the region was split among large land tracts including Atkinson, Hematite, Bates, L' Anse, and Duncan.

Industrial penetration is visible via the Chicago Milwaukee and St. Paul R. R. Lake Superior Div. slicing diagonally across the eastern half, while the D. S. S. and A. R. R. skirts the northern edge. These rail corridors provided the essential link for the logging and mining interests that shaped the development of Iron County and neighboring Baraga County. Smaller water bodies like Cable Lake and Porter Lake dot the interior, illustrating the post-glacial terrain before modern development altered the drainage patterns.