1981 Map of Sawbill Landing

About this map

Sawbill Landing sits at the heart of this Northwoods landscape, serving as a focal point for the regional timber and transport network within the Superior National Forest. The 1981 survey reveals a complex hydrological system defined by the Stony River and the winding Little Isabella River, interspersed with numerous glacial lakes such as Sylvania Lake and the notably named Doghouse Lake. Industrial infrastructure is visible through the Duluth and Missabe Iron Range railway line and several Gravel Pits that supported local road development. Transportation throughout this forested terrain relied on corridors like the Northwest Road and Trappers Lake Road, connecting remote points like Kelly Landing. The map illustrates the transition of the wilderness into a managed resource area, where the Dumbbell River and Dumbbell Lake drainage systems meet the infrastructure of the late twentieth-century forest economy.