Wisconsin historical atlas now in second printing

The Wisconsin Cartographers’ Guild’s ‘Wisconsin’s Past and Present: A Historical Atlas,’ is now available in its second printing.

The 9″ x 12″ atlas contains more than 120 pages of maps, text, and visual aids on state history. It was first published by the University of Wisconsin Press in November 1998 to mark the state sesquicentennial.

UW Press page for ordering the atlas

“Despite Wisconsin’s rich history, no historical atlas had been produced in the state since 1878,” WCG member Michael Gallagher says. “We wanted Wisconsin to become the state with the most attractive and accessible historical atlas in the country.”

Atlas maps and text enable readers to better understand and visualize Wisconsin history. “The atlas is a unique publication, using many original maps,” WCG member Zoltan Grossman says. “These maps depict events and concepts in Wisconsin history that until now were only described in text, or were split between different smaller maps.”

The atlas tells the story of Wisconsin as a state at the intersection of natural and cultural regions. The state was at the edge of Ice Age glaciers; on the “tension line” between the Northwoods and the central plains; and on lines between contrasting climactic systems. It also became a meeting ground for Native American nations and home to diverse groups of immigrant settlers who introduced political and economic ideas to the rest of the country. Wisconsin today serves as a borderland combining the agricultural Midwest, the industrial Great Lakes region, and the northern forests.

The Wisconsin Cartographers’ Guild was founded in 1996 to pool mapmakers’ technology, skills and resources in an independent non-profit association that promotes the public understanding of history, geography and cartography. Guild members are former or current employees of Madison-area professional mapping firms, with a total of about 40 years of experience in the craft.

The atlas is currently in retail and online bookstores and is available directly from the University of Wisconsin Press, (608) 224-3900.

For more information, contact the Wisconsin Cartographers’ Guild, 2701 University Ave., #409, Madison, WI 53705; call the Guild at (608) 246-2256 or (608) 255-5868; or e-mail mtn@igc.apc.org or gallaghe@globaldialog.com.

For map samples, visit: http://www.wisconsin.com/wibook.