Superior National Forest

Beautiful 1920s map of the Boundary Waters and Superior National Forest.

This rare promotional map of Superior National Forest was illustrated by J.E. Linden in 1923 and copyrighted the same year by C.M. Bahr of Duluth, Minnesota. The town can be seen situated in the foreground, on the shores of Lake Superior. It serves as the starting point for numerous roads and bus routes that stretch across the three million-acre national forest, established in 1909 and dotted with lakes, small towns, and hunting lodges. The Boundary Waters are visible along the top third of the sheet, though this map would not have been used for canoe trips.

Distances between points are omitted, giving the impression of a quick drive, but in reality, the travel was time-consuming and often on poor roads. The passage of the Federal Highway Act in 1921 funded the paving of thousands of miles of roads, including some of the routes through Superior National Forest. The popularity of motor travel (private car and bus) increased accordingly, offering significant economic possibilities to the region. Several of the bus lines shown would be consolidated into the Northland Transportation Company in 1925. Numerous local businesses, patrons of the maps’ production, are listed along the top and bottom.

The map is rare and listed in only 3 WorldCat libraries as of June 2025: the Wisconsin Historical Society (2 copies) and the Minnesota Historical Society. An alternate example, previously sold by Barry Ruderman Rare Maps, has printed text on the verso and lacks the sponsors in the margins.

Sources: OCLC# 778641888; Minnesota Historical Society; Barry Ruderman Rare Maps;