Courtesy Photo | Maps of the La Crosse River which runs through Fort McCoy, Wis., are shown. These...... read more read more
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Maps have been around since humans could communicate through drawings to describe the location of a specific place. Some of the earliest maps were found on carved stone tablets created over 2500 years ago to identify the ancient city of Babylon.
As the knowledge of the world increased, so did maps. One of the earliest maps known to depict what would later become Wisconsin is Claude Bernou’s 1681 Carte de l’Amerique Septentrionale which details expeditions of Father Marquette and L. Jolliet in 1673 and the Cavelier de La Salle Expedition of the Mississippi River Valley.
Bernou’s map shows the Black River just north of Fort McCoy. The next monumental map to display the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest in greater detail was Guillaume de l’Isle’s and Philippe Buache's map Carte du Canada qui comprend la partie septentrionale des États Unis d'Amerique, first issued in 1783.
After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Lewis and Clark and countless others explored and mapped more of the western frontier. Some of the earliest identifications of the area known as La Crosse, Wis., or “Prairie La Crosse” were by the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806) and Zebulon Pike’s first expedition (1805).
During the Lewis and Clark Expedition, William Clark created a detailed map of the Louisiana Purchase land through accounts he obtained while interacting with the Native populations, fur traders, and the Army.
Clark’s detailed map identifies the Prairie La Crosse River or the La Crosse River between the Black River and the Ouisconsin (Wisconsin) River and across from the Root River near La Crescent, Minn.
Zebulon Pike’s first expedition in 1805 also identified the La Crosse River. In 1835, the first United States geologist George William Featherstonhaugh set out from Green Bay, Wis., with his son George Jr. and mapped the Wisconsin River as well as the headwaters of the Mississippi River down to Keokuk, Iowa.
The 1836 map published by the Featherstonhaugh Expedition identifies the La Crosse River as the Ball-game River, as La Crosse was a traditional Native American sport and the modern La Crosse/Onalaska area was a primary game field for the surrounding tribal nations.
These early maps have one thing in common: They all depict the La Crosse River in detail as far as Sparta, Wis., and even its headwaters on what is today Fort McCoy. The numerous maps used during the transition from territory to statehood also identify major waterways like the Wisconsin River, the Black River, the St. Croix River, and even the smaller Root River south of La Crescent in Minnesota.
After Wisconsin became a state in 1848, it opened more of the western part of the state to the non-Native population. Even though the La Crosse River area was explored by Europeans, the city of La Crosse or Prairie La Crosse did not become a permanent settlement until 1841.
As the La Crosse River flows east, it comes to a crossroads where in 1849 and 1851 state roads connected Wisconsin north to south and east to west. The new state roads increased travel through the area of present-day Fort McCoy’s cantonment area, then known as “Best Point,” according to the 1858 Map of Monroe County Wisconsin.
As we know, Col. Robert Bruce McCoy allowed military training on his property. One of the earliest maps of Fort McCoy that can be found in the archives is a 1906 map “Plot of Grounds” where the future sites of Camp Robinson and Camp Emery Upton would be situated. Today, this area is referred to as South Post.
The same state road drawn on the 1858 Monroe County map appears on the 1906 map as well as the La Crosse River and its tributaries. Numerous features on the earliest maps can also be identified in archived maps ranging from 1858 to the present.
With modern Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, most of the maps can be overlayed onto current aerial imagery to identify points of interest for archaeology to investigate, including points of interest from before European contact to the present day.
The La Crosse River is a feature that drew Native Americans and Europeans into the Fort McCoy area throughout history. It has abundant wildlife, flora, and other natural resources which allowed them to establish an ideal place to live. No matter if it was 10,000 years ago or 100 years ago, Fort McCoy was a perfect environment to live in.
All archaeological work conducted at Fort McCoy was sponsored by the Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch.
Visitors and employees are reminded they should not collect artifacts on Fort McCoy or other government lands and leave the digging to the professionals.
Any individual who excavates, removes, damages, or otherwise alters or defaces any post-contact or pre-contact site, artifact, or object of antiquity on Fort McCoy is in violation of federal law.
The discovery of any archaeological artifact should be reported to the Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch at 502-898-8214.
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(Article prepared by the Fort McCoy Archaeology Team that includes the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch and representatives with the Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands who partner with Fort McCoy.)
| Date Taken: | 04.04.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.04.2025 14:05 |
| Story ID: | 494600 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 12 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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