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1929 Map of Prairie Du Chien

Name: 1929 Topographic Map of Prairie Du Chien
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1963
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1963

About this map

Prairie du Chien and the surrounding riverfront of the Mississippi River are meticulously detailed in this survey based on 1929 data. The landscape is defined by the complex hydrology of the river's eastern bank, where a network of channels and sloughs like Ambro Slough, Courtois Slough, and Roseau Channel create a labyrinth of islands including Island No 169. These waterways were central to the region's transport, supported by the Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific and the Chicago Burlington and Quincy River railroads.

Upland from the river, the topography transitions into a series of dramatic ridges and coulees. Local life in the early 20th century is evidenced by a high density of rural schoolhouses, such as Frenchtown Sch and Wrights Ferry Sch, which served families settled along Limery Ridge and Famechon Ridge. The map captures the transition from river-bottom commerce to the agricultural plateaus around Eastman and Bridgeport.