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1899 Map of Alexandria

Name: 1899 Topographic Map of Alexandria
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1899
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1899

About this map

The James River meanders through the western reaches of this South Dakota landscape, a defining corridor for early settlement and transport before the turn of the century. Hand-drawn during surveys in the mid-1890s, this document captures the established township grids of Hanson and surrounding counties. The town of Alexandria serves as a central hub, positioned at the intersection of the prairie landscape and the Chicago Milwaukee and St. Paul R.R..

Regional commerce is dictated by the expanding rail network, including the Chicago St. Paul Minneapolis and Omaha R.R. which links smaller outposts like Fulton and Farmer. Further east, the town of Bridgewater marks the transition into McCook County. Significant early settlements like Rockport and Epiphany appear alongside family-named landmarks and watercourses such as Enemy Creek and Beaver Creek, providing essential data for genealogists tracing the roots of early homesteading families in the Dakota Territory.