1936 Map of Sanford

About this map

The Tittabawassee River and its major tributaries, the Chippewa River and Pine River, converge in this mid-1930s depiction of the Midland County landscape. At the heart of the region, the Sanford Lake reservoir is flanked by the Sanford Wild Life Refuge, while a Fire Tower stands watch over the surrounding timber and wetlands. The transportation network is defined by the Pere Marquette railroad and U S Highway No 10, which connect riverside settlements like Sanford and Averill. This era shows a densely settled rural interior where schoolhouses such as St Elmo Sch, Riverside Sch, and Bishop Sch served farming families near established burying grounds like Larkin Cem and Homer Cem. The map captures a transition where traditional river-valley life met the expanding infrastructure of modern state highways.