1916 Map of Pillager

About this map

The Mississippi River and Gull River converge in this 1916 survey, a landscape defined by the complex aquatic network of central Minnesota. The early development of the region's tourism and industrial infrastructure is visible at Grand View Lodge on Gull Lake and the Crow Wing Dam. The map captures a high density of rural schoolhouses, such as Snow School, Plumly School, and Hardy School, which served the scattered agricultural and logging communities of the era. Transportation is dominated by the Northern Pacific railroad and the Little Falls and Brainerd Branch, which linked settlements like Pillager, Baxter, and Crow Wing. This record preserves the original names of numerous points and islands, including Rock Island and Harrison Point, before modern shoreline development further altered the lake country.