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1985 Map of Powell Lake

Name: 1985 Topographic Map of Powell Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1985
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1985

About this map

The settlement of Coalwood sits at the northern edge of this landscape, surrounded by the dense woodlands of the Hiawatha National Forest. This interior region of Alger County is characterized by an intricate network of glacial lakes and ponds, many bearing the names of local settlers or physical descriptors. Notable among these are the eponymous Powell Lake, the elongated Hovey Lake, and the distinctly named Wheelbarrow Lake and Lake Twenty Five. The terrain is defined by its isolation, with few major thoroughfares crossing the forest floor, though numerous secondary trails connect the water bodies.

Local history researchers can trace the spatial relationship between the various lake chains, including Big Twin Lake, Mirror Lake, and Shallow Lake. The concentration of these features suggests a landscape shaped heavily by post-glacial topography, where the water table and soil drainage patterns dictated the sparse settlement and heavy reliance on the forest's natural resources during the mid-1980s.