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1907 Map of Sun Prairie

Name: 1907 Topographic Map of Sun Prairie
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1907
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1907

About this map

Glacial drumlins and extensive wetlands define the landscape east of Madison during the early 1900s. Several major rail lines converge across this terrain, including the Chicago Milwaukee and St Paul RR and the Chicago and Northwestern, which fostered the growth of dairy-focused settlements like Sun Prairie and Cottage Grove. The map reveals a complex drainage system where Koshkonong Creek and Waterloo Creek wind through low-lying areas like Brazee Swamp, creating a mosaic of peat lands and small lakes such as Goose Lake and Mud Lake.

Smaller hamlets and junctions, some now less prominent, appear throughout the townships, including Vilas, Hope, and London. Prominent landmarks like Liberty Mound rise above the surrounding plains, providing navigational points in a region dominated by agricultural surveying. This survey captures the transition from a purely rural frontier to an interconnected rail-and-river network supporting the early twentieth-century economy of Dane and Jefferson counties.