Loading map...

1915 Map of Underwood

Name: 1915 Topographic Map of Underwood
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1915
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1915

About this map

Underwood and the small settlement of Maine anchor this landscape during a period of extensive rural development in central Minnesota. The terrain is a complex glacial lake district, dominated by large bodies of water like Star Lake and Dead Lake, alongside dozens of smaller basins including West Lost Lake and High Island Lake. The map reveals a highly organized township system, with Sverdrup, Friberg, and Maplewood townships showing a dense network of numbered schoolhouses, such as School No 207 Weggeland and Edwards School, which served the local farming families.

Transportation is defined by the Northern Pacific railroad's Fergus Falls Branch, which provided the vital connection for moving timber and agricultural goods. The winding course of the Otter Tail River cuts through the central portion of the sheet, linking several water bodies. For genealogists, the map is particularly valuable for its precise placement of nearly thirty individual school districts, offering a clear picture of the community structure at the beginning of the twentieth century.