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1899 Map of Sagola

Name: 1899 Topographic Map of Sagola
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1913
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1913

About this map

Michigamme River serves as the central artery for this late nineteenth-century Upper Peninsula landscape, winding through a terrain defined by its timber and mineral potential. The rail network is the primary driver of development here, with the Chicago Milwaukee and St. Paul RR and its Superior Division intersecting at the junction of Channing. These tracks facilitated the movement of resources from outlying areas like Mansfield, which is serviced by the C. & N. W. R. R. (Mansfield Branch).

Settlement is concentrated at specific rail points and along water bodies, with Sagola and Floodwood emerging as distinct community hubs. The landscape is characterized by a complex hydrology of glacial lakes and ponds, including Sawyer Lake and Deerskin Lake, alongside the headwaters of the West Branch and East Branch Sturgeon River. The survey, directed by George Otis Smith and topographers like Jno. H. Renshawe, captures the region just as the frontier industrial economy was solidifying its footprint across the Iron and Dickinson county borders.