Tuesday, June 5, 2012

A Map of Statesburg (now Kaukauna, WI) in 1826

 Maps can tell us a lot about history. This one of Statesburg, the Stockbridge Mohican's first settlement in what is now Wisconsin, is no exception. (Hint: for better viewing, click on the map to enlarge it)

The community was first settled by fifty Stockbridge Indians in 1822.  Since there were problems with the treaties of 1821 and 1822, the tribe had to move again in the mid-1830's.  (To get the bigger picture, see this map of Wisconsin.)

The map that you see a portion of above is different from most in that south is "up" and north is "down." So although most of the buildings are "above" the Fox River, it actually means that they are to the south of the river.  The city of Kaukauna, Wisconsin is now located here, but it is on both shores of the Fox River (not just the south shore as Statesburg was).

I'd like to thank Craig Lahm of the Kaukauna Historical Society for requesting the map from the Library of Congress and sharing it with me.  Thanks also go to Tom Duescher, also of the Kauakuna Historical Society, for annotating the map.  That is, he inserted the red labels which make the map decipherable to us today.

Thanks again Tom and Craig!

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