1974 Map of Baraboo SW

About this map

The Wisconsin River corridor serves as the central anchor of this 1974 orthophotoquad, where the landscape is clearly divided between riverine bottomlands and a highly organized patchwork of agricultural fields. Along the western bank, the settlement of Prairie Du Sac is captured at a moment of mid-century residential expansion, with its grid-like street pattern contrasting sharply against the irregular woodlands and steep bluffs that flank the river valley. The orthophoto format provides an exceptionally clear view of the land-use patterns of the era, revealing the exact footprints of farmsteads, the density of timber in the drainage ravines, and the industrial or utility installations situated near the water's edge. This specialized imagery allows for a precise study of how the community oriented itself around the river's path before later decades of development further altered the rural outskirts.