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1951 Map of Zim

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Zim
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1965
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1965

About this map

The St Louis River winds through the northern portion of this St. Louis County landscape, marking a terrain defined by extensive wetlands and glacial lakes. In the early 1950s, the small settlements of Zim and Fens served as key points along the north-south corridor of the Duluth Missabe and Iron Range railroad, which provided a vital transportation link through the boggy lowlands of McDavitt and Ellsburg townships.

Evidence of local industry and community life appears in the Gravel Pit near Peary and the Forbes Cem located just south of the river. The eastern half of the map is dominated by significant water bodies like Stone Lake, Hiekkila Lake, and Little Pony Lake, many of which border the Fayal Township State Game Refuge. This map illustrates a period when the iron range railroads were the primary arteries of movement through the dense Minnesota backcountry.