1956 Map of Three Lakes

About this map

The Duluth South Shore And Atlantic railroad forms the industrial spine of this Upper Peninsula landscape, cutting through the southern half of the Baraga State Forest. In the mid-1950s, the region was characterized by its dense network of glacial lakes and active resource extraction, notably at the Ohio Mine near the village of Three Lakes. Small railroad settlements like Nestoria and Imperial Heights serve as the primary hubs of human activity amidst a terrain dominated by water bodies such as Beaufort Lake, Lake Michigamme, and the sprawling Craig Lake. The presence of the Three Lakes Lookout Tower underscores the vital role of forest management and fire prevention in this timber-rich territory. For the researcher, the map details the precise location of mine dumps and small-scale infrastructure that supported the local iron or timber economies during this era.