Map of the Settled Part of Wisconsin Territory [with] Observations on the Wisconsin Territory

An influential guidebook and foundational map of Wisconsin.

This uncommon volume and accompanying map were published in 1838, just two years after the Wisconsin Territory was first organized. The book, authored by William R. Smith, is titled Observations on the Wisconsin Territory, Chiefly on that part called the “Wisconsin Land District.” It was published in Philadelphia by E.L. Carey & A. Hart and printed by E.G. Dorsey.

According to the introduction, the text is comprised of a series of edited letters written by a relative of the author who spent the summer of 1837 traveling throughout the region. It is emblematic of the enthusiastic spirit of boosterism that populated the Midwest with eager settlers during the mid-19th century.

“By the desire of a few friends, who have considered the remarks worth of being made public, the writer has consented to have them thus sent forth in a form that claims no other merit than those of being the result of personal views, and of those feelings in regard to a country so little known as Wisconsin, which so beautiful and interesting a region would naturally suggest on a first visit. If his fellow citizens in the east may in any measure be gratified in perusing these observations, or should they eventually be conducive to the settlement and interests of the “lovely land of Wisconsin,” the writer will be amply rewarded.”

The book includes a folding map published, also in Philadelphia, by the firm of Hinman & Dutton. It offers an early, detailed look at the ‘settled parts’ of the Wisconsin Territory, confined generally to the southwest. Counties are highlighted in original hand color. Transportation options are confined to rivers, canals, and roads. The first railroad wouldn’t arrive for another decade or so, though an ambitious projected route is shown connecting Milwaukee to Mendota on the Mississippi River.

The image includes portions of Illinois, Indiana, the future Iowa Territory (would be established that year) and the new state of Michigan (1837). An inset map in the upper left shows the entirety of the Wisconsin Territory, as established by Congress in 1836. Extending to the Missouri River, it identifies numerous Native American tribes and geographic features. It also notes the extent of Carver’s Tract, a spurious land claim that dates back to a British adventurer who explored the area in the 1760s.

Sources: David Rumsey Map Collection