1985 Map of Storm Lake

About this map

Storm Lake dominates the southeast corner of this survey, anchored by the namesake city and the campus of Iowa Central Community College. The landscape is a complex network of prairie waterways, where the Little Sioux River meanders through the heart of the region, passing the Wanata State Forest Reserve and numerous county parks like Dog Creek County Park and Kindlespire County Park. The era's transportation infrastructure is clearly defined, showing the prominent routes of the Illinois Central Gulf and Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific railroads as they connect rural trade centers like Cherokee, Aurelia, and Paullina. These rail lines, alongside highways such as U.S. 59 and U.S. 71, illustrate the mid-20th-century dependence on both rail and road for moving agricultural goods. Smaller, localized features such as Mary Hill and the Silver Sioux County Recreation Area provide specific landmarks for those tracing the historical geography of Northwest Iowa.