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1932 Map of Prairie Du Chien

Name: 1932 Topographic Map of Prairie Du Chien
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1950
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1950

About this map

The confluence of the Mississippi River and the Wisconsin River dominates this 1932 topographic survey of Crawford County. The city of Prairie Du Chien sits on the flat river terrace, supported by the intersecting rail lines of the Chicago Burlington and Quincy and the Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific. The landscape transitions sharply from the complex maze of islands and backwaters like Ambrough Slough and Sturgeon Lake to the high, dissected plateaus of Wauzeka Ridge and Irish Ridge.

Rural life in the early 20th century is mapped through a dense network of one-room schoolhouses and named agricultural corners, including Leitner Sch, Wagner Sch, and Hazen Corners. Along the northern river reaches, the village of Lynxville marks the river's edge, while the interior is carved by deep drainages like Sioux Coulee Creek and Mill Coulee, reflecting a terrain shaped by centuries of fluvial erosion.