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1892 Map of Savanna

Name: 1892 Topographic Map of Savanna
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1898
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1898

About this map

The Mississippi River creates a complex network of islands and side channels at the turn of the century, dividing the riverside settlements of Savanna and Sabula. This 1890 survey by John H. Renshawe documents a critical transportation corridor where the Chicago Burlington and Northern Railroad and the Chicago Milwaukee and St Paul Railroad converge near the riverbank.

Away from the water, the terrain transitions into the deeply dissected hills of Carroll and Jo Daviess counties. Small inland hubs like Hickory Grove and Massbach serve the surrounding rural townships, while the Plum River and its tributaries, including Straddle Creek, carve through the uplands. Genealogists can trace the early layout of Pleasant Valley and Washington townships before later developments altered these pioneer-era land divisions. Notable water bodies like Idens Lake and Dyson Lake sit in the low-lying floodplain south of the main Savanna settlement.