1985 Map of Smithville

About this map

Pere Marquette State Forest dominates this landscape in northern Michigan, where the Manistee River and Cannon Creek carve through the glacial terrain of Kalkaska and Missaukee Counties. The map documents a scattered network of small rural settlements including Smithville, Taffeltown, Millers Corners, and Giddings, many of which grew around early river crossings or timber operations. The presence of the Old RR Grade running through Orange and Boardman townships points to the region's historical reliance on rail for logging and transport. Local community life is anchored by the Gem Township Hall and various water bodies like Perch Lake and Sickle Lake, while industrial activity is noted at the Gravel Pits in the west. This survey provides a look at the transition between dense state forest land and the modest clearings of inland farmsteads in the mid-1980s.