Maps at MNHS: Atlases & Plats

County atlases, which are based off of Public Land Survey Lines, play an integral role in Minnesota history.

Lavishly illustrated county and city atlases were popular items for Minnesota cartographic publishing houses during the late 19th and early 20th century.  They included colorful hand drawn maps and promoted local communities and businesses by including advertisements, photographs of notable residents and buildings, and property owner indexes.  

Post WWI, atlases became much plainer and began to play a huge role in real estate business by providing important information for potential land purchasers.  

County platbooks include maps of individual townships. 

Online Resources:

• Minnesota atlases and plats at the Borchert Map Library (all dates, some digitized, searchable by county).
• An alphabetical list of all townships in Minnesota and which county they are located in.

Print Resources:

• For information on finding these materials, please see the Search for Maps tab.

Gale Family Library
MN Historical Society Library
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St. Paul, MN 55102

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