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1960 Map of Sawbill Camp

Name: 1960 Topographic Map of Sawbill Camp
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1965
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1965

About this map

Minnesota State Forest and Superior National Forest dominate this 1960 landscape, revealing a remote wilderness shaped by the timber and transportation networks of the North Woods. The map documents the persistent marks of the logging era, specifically the Temperance River Railroad Grade and an Old Railroad Grade that cut through the dense topography. These corridors, alongside the primitive Sawbill Road, provided the essential arteries for resource extraction before the area's transition toward recreation.

Water defines the terrain, with the massive Crescent Lake anchoring the eastern edge and a complex chain of smaller basins including Rice Lake, Burnt Lake, and Kelly Lake scattered throughout. Small-scale industrial sites like the Sandpit near Marsh Lake and a Gravel Pit near Sawbill Camp suggest the ongoing maintenance of this forest infrastructure. The map also identifies early recreational footprints such as the Baker Lake Campground, illustrating the early 1960s balance between industrial history and emerging conservation.