1961 Map of Turtle Lake

About this map

Turtle Lake serves as the focal point of this McLean County survey, which documents the prairie landscape during a period of infrastructure revision. The town itself is a hub for the Burlington Northern railroad, featuring local institutions like the Turtle Lake Cem and several gravel operations. The surrounding terrain is defined by a complex network of glacial potholes and larger bodies of water, including the Lake Nettie National Wildlife Refuge and the expansive Lake Williams. Evidence of early 20th-century rural organization is found in the distribution of schoolhouses such as School No 2 and School No 3, alongside landmarks like St Olaf Ch. The mapping of sloughs and lakes, from Britton Slough to Lake Brekken, highlights the region's hydrology before later environmental shifts and modern agricultural changes altered the shoreline configurations.