1970 Map of Port Austin East

About this map

The tip of Michigan's Thumb is defined here by the rocky coastline of Pointe aux Barques, where the land meets Lake Huron across Alaska Bay and Eagle Bay. This coastal landscape in the early 1970s shows a transition from the industrial legacy of Grind Stone City, marked by several Quarries, to the residential and military presence at the Port Austin Air Force Station. A complex network of drainage systems like Dwight Drain and Hellems Drain crisscrosses the interior farm lots, illustrating the effort to reclaim this low-lying land for agriculture.