1967 Map of Steele Center

About this map

The Straight River winds through the western landscape of this mid-century Minnesota survey, anchoring a region defined by established rural townships and immigrant heritage. Small agricultural hubs like Steele Center and Litomysl serve as focal points for the surrounding farmsteads, while the Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific railroad cuts across the northeastern corner. The presence of the Danish Cem and Bohemian Cem points to the specific ethnic settlement patterns of Summit and Blooming Prairie, where local burial grounds and churches like Holy Trinity Cem were the social bedrocks of the community. In the lowlands, extensive drainage projects such as County Ditch No 22 and County Ditch No 27 reflect the era's intensive efforts to reclaim marshy terrain for productive cultivation near the Pogones State Wildlife Management Area.