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1954 Map of Traverse City

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of Traverse City
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1965
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1965

About this map

Lake Michigan dominates the northwestern coastline of this Northern Michigan landscape, where the distinct landforms of Pyramid Point, Sleeping Bear Point, and Old Mission Point define the shore. The interior reflects a mid-century network of timberlands and protected acreage, including the expansive Huron National Forest and Manistee National Forest. Settlement centers like Traverse City, Cadillac, and Grayling serve as hubs for the regional transportation grid, which at this time still relied on the Chesapeake and Ohio RR and Pennsylvania RR alongside burgeoning state routes.

The hydrography of the region is intricately detailed, showing the massive basins of Houghton Lake and Higgins Lake as well as the flow of the Au Sable River and Manistee River. Extensive state forest lands such as Au Sable State Forest and the Camp Grayling Military Reservation occupy the center of the sheet, illustrating the transition from early lumbering tracts to permanent military and recreational conservation areas.