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1956 Map of Phelps

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Phelps
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

Lac Vieux Desert straddles the border of Wisconsin and Michigan, anchoring a landscape defined by an immense network of lakes and marshes in the mid-1950s. This survey records the rural character of Vilas County just as modern recreation began to shape the Northwoods. The settlement of Phelps and the community of Land O'Lakes serve as the primary hubs, connected by the tracks of the Chicago And North Western railroad.

Evidence of the area's cultural history is visible at the Katakikikon Indian Village (Site) on the northern shore of the big lake, while the Imp Lake Lookout Tower and a second Lookout Tower near Phelps highlight the era's reliance on terrestrial fire observation within the Ottawa National Forest and Nicolet National Forest. Local life is further marked by the Twin Lakes Ch and the Conover Cemetery, set against a backdrop of dozens of family-named water bodies like Jennings Lake and Kvidera Lake.