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1919 Map of Valley

Name: 1919 Topographic Map of Valley
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1943
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1943

About this map

Mentor and Erskine serve as the primary rail hubs for this section of Polk County, situated at the intersection of the Great Northern and the Minneapolis St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie railroads. The landscape is defined by a dense concentration of water bodies, including Maple Lake, Union Lake, and Sarah Lake, which dictate the placement of early settlements and seasonal areas like Lakeside Park.

Rural development follows a structured grid, punctuated by numerous School and Church locations serving the townships of Grove Park, Knute, and Garden. The Sand Hill River meanders through the southern reaches of the map, while the northern sections are marked by a series of drainage infrastructure simply labeled Ditch, reflecting early twentieth-century efforts to manage the region's wetlands for agriculture.