Image from a 1900 era United States Geological Survey (USGS) that shows Brooklyn Township and the surrounding areas like Anoka, Champlin, part of Maple Grove and the northern area of Crystal Lake township when it then included part of what is now Brooklyn Center and even some of north Minneapolis!

This map was from a time when the railroads and only a few roads dominated the township area.  The primary mode of transportation was likely horseback or horse-drawn wagons.  We'd guess it would take a while to must go to Osseo or the Howe Store at about 69th and Brooklyn Boulevard.  A telephone was still a rare service!

This map was created by the USGS in a "topographical" format showing elevations, roads, railroads, lakes & rivers to marsh lands and creeks.  The USGS created the same map in a "soil characteristics" format that would show the soil in the area ideal for potatoes, a primary farm crop.

This 1915 map shows the Northern Pacific Railway on the east side of the Mississippi and the Great Northern Railroad going from Robbinsdale to Osseo and further west.  The Soo Line goes from Minneapolis through the Twin Lakes.  Note Osseo, Shingle Creek and Palmer Lake.

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Brooklyn Historical   September 2007