1881 Dane Columbia Juneau Adams County Wisconsin H/C Maps Large Double Page

Description

Map of Dane County (with) Maps of Columbia, Juneau and Adams Counties, Wisconsin
Published by H. R. Page & Co., Chicago, 1881
Original, double-page, double-sided, hand colored lithographic map sheet with centerfold, as made, consisting of a double page map of Dane county with single page maps of Columbia and Juneau/Adams counties on the reverse side, extracted from H. R. Page’s “Illustrated Historical Atlas of Wisconsin”, the last of the 3 great Wisconsin State atlases published during the latter half of the nineteenth century and arguably the finest and most complete. Map sizes: Dane -16 ¼ x 24 ¾ inches; Columbia - 12 ¾ x 16 ¾ inches; Juneau/Adams – 15 ¾ x 13 ¼ inches (borders, except a tip of Columbia county which extends beyond the border to the page edge on the west side) on sheet with broad margins except Juneau/Adams noted below under condition.
These simple yet attractive and long-obsolete maps focus on political and cultural aspects of the covered areas plus additional features, many of which are listed below, and would tastefully adorn any home, cabin or vacation rental. If you have an interest in any of these Wisconsin places, old maps offer a unique window into the past that can inspire conversation, reflection, and appreciation.
What could possibly have changed over the past 140 years?
Condition: Generally very good and clean with light age toning and a darker narrow band along the bottom of all maps. The Columbia and Juneau/Adams maps have a few light toning spots and smudges located outside of the map image in blank areas and margins. Page edges are rough in a few places with minor edge losses and the Juneau/Adams map has been close trimmed to the neatline on the west side by the publisher causing minor loss to the printed border. Please view the photographs for more detail about condition and content and, of course, feel free to ask questions.
Content: All maps are colored by civil townships and show
survey township, range and sections; cities and towns; wagon roads; railroads, railroad stations and depots; post offices; churches and schools;
rivers and lakes; and, depending on the map, furnaces; mills; cheese factories; boat landings, and more. Even a large number of private residences are named (presumably prominent citizens or subscribers to the atlas). Of course, the Dane county map shows the State Capitol and State University and Farm in Madison, but also the State Fish Hatchery and State Hospital for the Insane. Dane county is one of the few double page maps published in the atlas reflecting its importance in the state. The county boundary configurations shown match those of present-day Dane, Juneau, Adams and Columbia Counties.
A scarce assemblage of maps each containing historical information of a bygone age when the pace of life was regulated by the speed of a horse, steam locomotive or steamboat (and paper map!) for these then relatively young Wisconsin counties and towns. By 1881, Wisconsin had begun to recover from the crippling economic Panic of 1873 – the worst US depression until 1929 – making the publication of a third state atlas economically viable even following tepid public reception to the previous Walling/Tackabury and Snyder/Van Vechten Wisconsin atlases. Each atlas was an improvement over its predecessor with changes made to formatting and content, although many of the Page and Snyder/Van Vechten maps share a very similar appearance and are cartographically almost identical, having been produced from the same plates. Close examination of Page and Snyder/Van Vechten map pairings sometimes reveal minor additions and removals by Page; however, major changes occurring within the few year span between these publications, such as county boundary redefinition due to new county formation, city/town map additions or removals, and new illustrations, were also made.
H. R. Page & Co. also published atlases of a small number of north mid-western US and southern Canadian counties, maps of selected US states, and other subjects up until the late 1880’s. Their Wisconsin State atlas endures as their most ambitious, comprehensive and best-known work. Wisconsinites are fortunate to have such a rich resource of affordable and display worthy cartographic material at their disposal.