Turning Points
in Wisconsin History
The imaginary capital city that its chief promoter envisioned, 1836.
Plat of the Town of Madison on the Four Lakes, July 1, 1836
At the territorial convention in Belmont in the fall of 1836, businessman and future territorial governor James Duane Doty sought to make Madison the capital of Wisconsin. Doty owned much of the land on the isthmus between lakes Mendota and Monona, and stood to profit from its selection as capital. First, however, he had to convince the other delegates that Madison would make the best site. Doty and his surveyor drew this map as a promotional tool to get other territorial delegates to invest in the city he imagined would grow on the shores of the lakes. Click "Zoom & Pan" for a closer look.
| Related Topics: |
Territory to Statehood Immigration and Settlement Early U.S. Settlement The Creation of Wisconsin Territory The Founding of Major Cities |
| Creator: | Doty, James Duane, 1799-1865. |
| Pub Data: | Manuscript map in the Wisconsin Historical Society map collection. |
| Citation: | Doty, James Duane. "Plat of the Town of Madison on the Four Lakes, July 1, 1836." Manuscript map in the Wisconsin Historical Society map collection.(GX9029 M18 1836). Online facsimile at: http://wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=132; Visited on: 4/25/2024 |
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