1978 Map of Rice Lake

About this map

Lake Superior defines the southern edge of this orthophotograph, where the coastline meets the wooded interior of Houghton County. This 1978 advance print combines aerial imagery from October with the land lines from a 1954 survey, providing a unique hybrid view of the Keweenaw Peninsula’s landscape. The dominant inland feature, Rice Lake, is surrounded by a complex network of wetlands and forested sections, visible through the varying textures of the October foliage. The orthophoto format reveals the specific patterns of land use and vegetation that traditional topographic maps often generalize, showing clearings and dense timber stands within the grid of Townships 55 and 56 North. This document serves as a specialized record of the shoreline and interior hydrology before later decades of environmental change.