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1909 Map of Sparta

Name: 1909 Topographic Map of Sparta
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1932
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1932

About this map

Sparta serves as the industrial and transport hub of this Monroe County landscape at the beginning of the twentieth century. The town is situated at the junction of the Chicago and Northwestern and the Chicago Milwaukee and St Paul railroads, which parallel the course of the La Crosse River. This dual-rail infrastructure highlights the importance of the region as a conduit for trade between the Coulee Region and eastern Wisconsin markets.

South of the river valley, the terrain transitions into a series of narrow ridges and steep coulees, including Raffelson Coulee and Norwegian Coulee. Small upland settlements like Middle Ridge and Newberg Corners are connected by a network of early roads that follow the winding geography of Pleasant Valley and Coon Creek. The map also captures several smaller rail stops such as Rockland and Bangor, which were vital collection points for local agricultural goods.