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1962 Map of Wood Lake NW

Name: 1962 Topographic Map of Wood Lake NW
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1963
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1963

About this map

The Yellow Medicine River winds through a heavily engineered agricultural landscape in this early 1960s study of western Minnesota. The settlement of Hazel Run sits at the northern edge, serving as a hub for the surrounding townships of Friendship, Norman, and Sandnes. This era reveals a transition from natural watercourses to a highly structured drainage system, evidenced by numerous man-made channels such as Judicial Ditch No 2 and County Ditch No 37, which were vital for reclaiming the prairie for cultivation.

Transportation corridors define the regional economy, with the Chicago and North Western and Great Northern railroads cutting across the terrain. These rail lines, alongside family-history landmarks like West Cem and several Gravel Pits, document the infrastructure of a mid-century farming community. Small water bodies like Spring Creek and Lone Tree Lake provide the few breaks in the systematic grid of rural roads and township boundaries.