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1915 Map of Perham

Name: 1915 Topographic Map of Perham
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1949
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1949

About this map

Perham serves as the primary hub of this glaciated landscape in the years before the First World War, situated where the Northern Pacific RR cuts through the lake country of Edna and Gorman townships. The map illustrates a transitional era of settlement, where the rail-side growth of Frazee and Richville contrasts with a dense network of rural one-room schoolhouses, such as School No 85 and Finlayson School, that anchored agricultural life.

Water dominates the geography, from the complex shorelines of Little McDonald Lake and Dead Lake to smaller basins like Stein Lake and Murphy Lake. The convergence of the Northern Pacific and the Minneapolis St Paul & Sault Ste Marie RR lines underscores the region's importance as a transportation corridor during the early 20th century. The intricate shoreline of Grand View Heights on the eastern edge hints at the early development of these lakes for more than just industrial or agricultural purposes.