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1951 Map of Piatt Lake

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Piatt Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1955
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1955

About this map

Tahquamenon Bay defines the northern coastline of this landscape, where the waters of Lake Superior meet the dense woodlands of the Upper Peninsula. During the early 1950s, this region was a patchwork of overlapping administrative boundaries, including the Marquette National Forest, Whitefish National Forest, and Mackinac State Forest. The interior is characterized by a complex network of wetlands and small water bodies such as Piatt Lake, Johnson Lake, and Duck Lake, which feed several drainage systems including Roxbury Creek and Bearpen Creek.

The presence of the Eckerman Lookout Tower in the northwestern corner highlights the era's reliance on stationary observers for forest fire management in these vast timbered tracts. Transportation into these forests was limited to a few primary corridors like Whitefish Road and the East and West Road, while the north shore is traced by Lake Shore Drive. This map captures a specific moment in the management of Michigan's public lands before modern consolidation.