1955 Map of Witch Lake

About this map

Michigamme State Forest and the Iron Range State Forest dominate this landscape on the border of Iron and Marquette counties. The area is defined by a high density of water bodies, ranging from the large Chief Lake and Sundog Lake to smaller basins like Lake Elizabeth and Penglase Lake. This mid-century survey captures a period when the timberlands were interlaced by the competing tracks of the Chicago and North Western and the Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific railroads. The settlement at Witch Lake and the nearby station at Witbeek serve as the primary human outposts in a territory otherwise dedicated to the state forests and the myriad lakes, including Fence Lake and the oddly named Bed Spring Lake.