1899 Map of Amana

About this map

The Iowa River valley anchors this detailed study of the Amana Colonies, showing the distinctive communal settlement pattern of the late nineteenth century. Clustered along the river and its fertile bottomlands are the interconnected villages of Amana, West Amana, Hohe Amana, Middle Amana, East Amana, and South Amana, alongside the rail-linked village of Homestead. This landscape illustrates the self-sufficient agrarian and industrial layout of the Inspirationist society before their reorganization in the 1930s. The region is a dense network of steam-era transportation, with the Chicago Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad and the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad cutting across the northern prairies through Norway and Fairfax. To the south, the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific Railroad follows the river corridor, connecting these isolated colonies to the broader Midwestern grain and manufacturing markets.