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1894 Map of Evansville

Name: 1894 Topographic Map of Evansville
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1904
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1904

About this map

The Sugar River valley and the wetlands of southern Dane County define the landscape of this late 19th-century survey. The area is anchored by the growing rail hubs of Evansville and Oregon, where several major lines converge to move the region's agricultural products. The Chicago And Northwestern Railroad cuts a diagonal path through the center of the sheet, linking Brooklyn and Rutland to larger markets, while the Illinois Central R.R. (Freeport Div.) serves the western townships.

Glacial topography is prominent in the northeast, where the waters of Lake Kegonsa and Lake Waubesa are surrounded by smaller basins like Hook Lake and Mud Lake. Away from the rail lines, smaller rural settlements such as Oak Hall, Union, and Attica illustrate the era's decentralized village economy before the widespread adoption of the automobile. The map also clearly delineates the convergence of several county boundaries, including those of Dane, Green, and Rock.