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1956 Map of Split Rock Point

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Split Rock Point
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1982
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1982

About this map

Split Rock Lighthouse stands as a prominent sentinel over the North Shore of Lake Superior in this mid-century survey. The landscape is defined by the sharp transition from the elevated timberlands of Silver Creek and Beaver Bay to the rocky shoreline punctuated by Corundum Point and Split Rock Point. The map documents a rugged coastal economy transitioning into a recreational one, as evidenced by the establishment of Split Rock Lighthouse State Park and Gooseberry Falls State Park along the Lake Superior shore.

Transportation history is etched into the terrain via the Old Railroad Grade, which once served the region's logging or mining interests, now superseded by the coastal alignment of Route 61. Small lakeside settlements like Little Two Harbors and Castle Danger provide focal points for local history. Numerous watercourses, including the Gooseberry River and the West Branch of the Beaver River, carve through the uplands before reaching the lake at landmarks like Gooseberry Falls and Gooseberry Reef.