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1955 Map of Vulcan

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Vulcan
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1957
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

Iron ore mining and the timber industry define this mid-century landscape in the Upper Peninsula. Centered on the communities of Vulcan and Loretto, the map documents the extractive infrastructure of the Menominee Range, including the Loretta Mine and Appleton Mine. The heavy industrial footprint of the Chicago and North Western Railroad is visible alongside extensive mine dumps near Hanbury Lake.

North of the settlements, the Sturgeon River State Forest encompasses a rugged terrain drained by the Sturgeon River and its tributaries like Cassidy Creek. This area shows a transition from active industrial sites to managed woodland, anchored by landmarks like the Vulcan Lookout Tower on Brier Hill. The presence of several old railroad grades hints at earlier logging or mining phases that preceded the 1950s configuration of these Dickinson County townships.