1919 Map of Release

About this map

The Prairie River basin in northern Minnesota's lake country defines this 1919 landscape, compiled by the Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army as a military survey. The area is dominated by an intricate network of waterways, including the sprawling Balsam Lake and the unusually named Brush Shanty Lake. Cultural development is sparse, centered on the Release School near the banks of Balsam Creek. The map provides a detailed view of the region before significant modern development, showing the transition from the Long Lakes through Round Lake into the broader river system. Names like Thoreau Lake and Raddison Lake appear alongside local identifiers such as Hunters Lake and Wolf Lake, reflecting a mix of literary and descriptive naming conventions common in early twentieth-century Minnesota.