1890 Map of Stoughton

About this map

Stoughton and Edgerton serve as the primary hubs in this late-nineteenth-century landscape, connected by the vital artery of the Chicago Milwaukee and St Paul Railroad. The region is defined by its complex glacial hydrology, where the Yahara River flows south from Lake Kegonsa toward its confluence with the Rock River near Fulton. Smaller settlements like Dunkirk, Stebbinsville, and Cooksville are positioned along these waterways, reflecting a period when water power and early rail access dictated local growth. To the east, the sprawling waters of Lake Koshkonong and a series of smaller basins, including Rice Lake and Sweet Lake, dominate the terrain. Topographer I.M. Buell meticulously recorded the marshlands and elevation changes that characterized Dane and northern Rock counties before modern drainage and development altered the natural wetlands.