1890 Map of Stoughton

About this map

The Yahara River and Rock River carve through this glacial landscape in southern Wisconsin, anchoring a network of late-nineteenth-century settlements and water-powered industries. During the 1880s survey period, Stoughton and Edgerton emerged as primary hubs along the Chicago Milwaukee and St Paul Railroad, which snakes through the marshes and drumlins of Dane and Rock counties. The map captures smaller hamlets like Dunkirk, Stebbinsville, and Cooksville at a time when local mill sites and rural post offices were the lifeblood of the community. To the north and east, the expansive waters of Lake Kegonsa and Lake Koshkonong define the topography, surrounded by a complex system of creeks such as Koshkonong Creek and Waukoma Creek. This document illustrates the dense township organization of Pleasant Springs, Albion, and Fulton before modern road networks altered the rural landscape.