1891 Map of Maquoketa

About this map

The confluence of the North Fork Maquoketa River and the main stem of the Maquoketa River anchors this 1889 survey of eastern Iowa. The seat of Jackson County, Maquoketa, appears as a developing hub at the junction of two major rail systems: the Chicago and North Western Railroad and the Chicago Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad. The landscape is a network of small farming townships including Richland and Perry, where settlements like Andrew and Cottonville are linked by early wagon roads across the rolling terrain. These detailed contours show the intricate drainage of Otter Creek and Bear Creek, while the presence of Bridgeport and Fulton highlights the importance of river crossings during this late nineteenth-century period of agrarian growth and rail expansion.