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1965 Map of Shagawa Lake

Name: 1965 Topographic Map of Shagawa Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1967
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1967

About this map

Ely sits at the edge of a massive aquatic network in the mid-1960s, serving as a gateway to the Superior National Forest and surrounding state timberlands. The landscape is defined by the deep indentations of Burnt Side Lake, where dozens of named landforms like Waters Island and Honeymoon Island break the water's surface. This era captures the region's industrial backbone through the Duluth Missabe and Iron Range railroad, which skirts the southern shore of Shagawa Lake.

Resource extraction and recreation exist side-by-side, evidenced by the proximity of several Gravel Pits and a Quarry to leisure sites like Semer Park and the Fenske Lake Campground. The presence of an Aqueduct and a Gaging Station highlights the managed nature of these waters, even as the map details the primitive Van Vac Road and various unimproved trails that penetrate the Burnt Side State Forest.