THE State of Wisconsin is situated between 42° 30′ and 46° 55' N. latitude, and between 87° and 92° 50′ W. longitude. It is bounded on the north by Michigan, Lake Superior and Minnesota; on the east by Lake Michigan; on the south by Illinois; and on the west by Iowa and Minnesota. Its extreme length, from north to south, is about 285 miles, and its greatest breadth, from east to west, about 255 miles.

TOPOGRAPHY.

The surface of the State is generally an elevated rolling prairie. The highest point is in the northwest, while a slight ridge divides the waters flowing into Lake Superior from those flowing into the Mississippi. Another ridge crosses the south central part of the State. A third ridge crosses the southeast corner, and separates the rivers flowing into Green Bay from those emptying into Lake Michigan. The rivers which flow into Lake Superior descend abruptly to it, and are broken by numerous falls and rapids, which afford fine mill sites.

Lake Superior washes the northern shore of the State, and Lake Michigan the western.

Green Bay enters the State from Lake Michigan, in the extreme northeast. It is about 100 miles long, and from 15 to 35 miles wide. It lies between this State and the northern peninsula of Michigan. It has an average depth of 500 feet, and abounds in picturesque scenery. It possesses an active trade, and is navigated by steamers to Green Bay City, its head. The Fox River unites the Bay with Lake Win

nebago, about 25 miles south of Green Bay City. This lake is about 28 miles long, and about 10 miles wide. It is navigable for steamers, as is also the Fox River. The scenery is very beautiful. Fond du Lac, at the southern end of the Lake, is the principal town. From Oshkosh, on the western side of the Lake, a ship canal has been constructed to Portage City, which affords uninterrupted communication between the Mississippi River and Lake Michigan. The Mississippi River washes the southwestern shore of the State as far as Prescot, where it bends to the northwest, and passes into Minnesota. It receives the waters of the St. Croix, the Chippewa, the Black, the Bad Axe, and the Wisconsin rivers. The St. Croix River rises south of the western end of Lake Superior, and flows southwest to the Minnesota line, when it turns to the south, separates Wisconsin from Minnesota, and empties into the Mississippi about 40 miles southeast of St. Paul. It is about 200 miles long. Near its mouth it expands into a lake 36 miles long, and 4 miles wide, known as St. Croix Lake. It is about 100 yards wide at its mouth. It is repeatedly broken by falls. The Chippewa is about 200 miles long, and the Black about 150. The Wisconsin River rises in the extreme northern part of the State, and flows south to Portage City, where it is joined by the waters of a number of small lakes, extending northeast into Lake Winnebago. This chain forms the Grand Portage, by means of which water communication is maintained between the Mississippi and the lakes. From Portage City it flows southwest into the Mississippi, near Prairie du Chien. It is about 500 miles long, and is navigable for steamers for about 200 miles. The Menomonee forms a part of the northeast boundary, and flows into Green Bay. It falls 1049 feet during its course, and is an excellent mill stream.

A number of small lakes are scattered through the State.

MINERALS.

"The mineral resources of the State are varied and valuable. The lead region of Illinois and Iowa extends over an area of 2140 square miles in Wisconsin, which compares with the other portions in the abundance and richness of the ores. In 1863, there were 848,625 pounds of lead received at Milwaukee. The completion of the Southern Wisconsin Railroad will raise the aggregate to 2,500,000 pounds. It is mingled with copper and zinc ores. The iron region of Lake Superior presents within the limits of this State abundant deposits of great richness. Magnetic iron, plumbago, and the non

metallic earths abound. Copper deposits have also been developed, but as yet have only been worked to a limited extent. Beautiful marbles, susceptible of elaborate working, exist. The mineral productions are rapidly opening a very inviting field for capital and industry, promising an immense addition to the resources of this energetic young State." *

CLIMATE.

The winters are long and severe, but the temperature is somewhat mitigated by the lake breezes. The summers are warm, but pleasant. The State is healthy as a general rule, and is less liable than other new places to the diseases incident to new settlements, owing to the openness of the country.

SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS.

The soil, as a general rule, is fertile, and is productive, even in the mineral regions of the north. The best lands are on the prairies, where the soil consists of a dark brown vegetable mould, from one to

two feet in depth, very mellow, and entirely destitute of stones or gravel.

"Wisconsin possesses abundant timber resources, and an immense lumbering business is carried on in many of the northern and western counties, the pineries of Marathon, Chippewa, Clark, Wood, St. Croix, and other counties, furnishing many millions of feet of logs and lumber annually. Our Clark correspondent claims that 100,000,000 feet of pine timber is cut each year in that county alone; while in Monroe 30,000,000 feet is annually cut into lumber by about twenty mills. Hard wood timber also abounds in all parts of the State, and there are few counties without sufficient wood for local uses. The lumbering business is a source of great profit to those engaged in it, and in Brown county parties boast of cutting enough white pine logs from eighty acres to net $1200 to $1500."*

Wheat, corn, oats, potatoes, and hay, are the staple crops of this State, the first named being the most important.

In 1870, there were in Wisconsin 5,795,538 acres of improved land. In the same year the returns were as follows:

$28,000,000

$77,507,261

Value of domestic animals, about,

Estimated value of all farm productions,

Total assessed value of real and personal estate, $326,765,238

COMMERCE AND MANUFACTURES.

Possessing water communication with the St. Lawrence and the Mississippi, Wisconsin has a growing commerce. Her exports of grain

* Agricultural Report, April, 1868.

and lumber are very large. In 1863, the foreign exports were valued at $3,323,637, and the imports at $24,479. A large part of the products of the State passes through Chicago.

Manufactures are yet in their infancy. In 1870, there were in the State 7136 establishments, employing 39,055 operatives, and producing goods to the amount of $85,624,966.

INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.

The State contained, in 1868, 1045 miles of completed railroads, constructed at a cost of $40,182,000. The principal towns of the State are connected with each other, and with all parts of the Union. The main lines lead either to Chicago, Illinois, or to St. Louis, Missouri.

Besides these roads, there is the Portage Canal, already mentioned, connecting the Wisconsin with Lake Winnebago, which was constructed by the State.

EDUCATION.

There are seven colleges in the State, the principal of which is the State University, at Madison. It embraces a College of Letters, a College of Arts, a Preparatory Department, and a Female Department. It is well endowed.

There is a Normal School at Platteville, and one at Whitewater, and measures are on foot to establish others at Stoughton, Oshkosh, and Sheboygan. Teachers' Institutes are held at stated times in various parts of the State.

The educational system is under the general supervision of a Superintendent of Public Instruction, elected by the people of the State for two years. Each county and each city has a separate Superintendent, who manages its affairs, as in the other Western States. There is a permanent school fund, amounting to $2,205,487. In 1870, the amount expended for the schools was $2,094,160. The number of public schools was 5000, attended by 264,525 pupils.

In the same year there were about 400 private schools in the State, attended by about 30,000 pupils.

In 1870, there were 2857 libraries in Wisconsin, containing 880,508 volumes.

In the same year, the number of newspapers and periodicals published in the State was 173, nearly all political. They had an aggregate annual circulation of nearly 11,000,000 copies.