Wisconsin’s Past and Present

Despite Wisconsin’s rich history, no historical atlas has been produced in the state since 1878. Wisconsin’s Past and Present, created by the Wisconsin Cartographers’ Guild, has filled this void with a fascinating and colorful portrait of the state’s complex development. This useful and entertaining guide, produced to mark 150 years of statehood, provides a lasting resource for map lovers and history buffs of all ages, and anyone interested in Wisconsin’s heritage. The Atlas features more than 100 pages of historic and geographic data, including full-color maps, descriptive text, photos, and illustrations.

The Atlas highlights the peoples and cultures, economy and land, and socio-political landscape of Wisconsin—from Native American mounds to weather hazards to labor history. Situated at the intersections of natural and cultural regions, Wisconsin has always been an area “on thecutting edge.” It formed a boundary between the glaciated and unglaciated regions of North America, which evolved into the “tension line” between the Northwoods and the Central Plains. It later became the meeting ground among Native American nations, and a new home to diverse groups of immigrant settlers, who introduced cutting-edge political and economic ideas to the rest of the country. Wisconsin still serves as a borderland between the agricultural Midwest, the industrial Great Lakes, and the Northern forests. The Atlas explores the history of indigenous cultures, immigrant groups, natural resources, agriculture, industries, boundaries, political and social movements, and government institutions in lively detail.