Loading map...

1895 Map of Baraboo

Name: 1895 Topographic Map of Baraboo
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1931
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1931

About this map

The Wisconsin River carves a dramatic path through this 1892 survey, which captures the region's development during the late nineteenth-century railroad expansion. The Chicago and Northwestern R. R. crosses the water at Merrimac, while the C. M. and St. P. R. R. serves the growing community of Lodi. To the north, the city of Baraboo is established along the banks of the Baraboo River, just north of the distinctive glacial landscape of Devils Lake.

Smaller hamlets and junctions like Kirks, Okee, and Farr Corners dot the landscape, illustrating a settled agricultural network defined by early townships like Caledonia and Dekorra. The map also highlights prominent natural landmarks such as Gibraltar Rock, which stands above the marshes of Spring Creek. This record documents the area's transition into a central Wisconsin transportation hub before the large-scale hydroelectric developments of the 20th century.