The industrial revolution had a huge effect on farming. New machinery was developed allowing farmers to plant and harvest more crops in less time. Trains were able to haul farm produce to far away markets giving the farmer better prices for their crops and milk. Agricultural classes provided farmers with information on the latest innovations and techniques in farming. Imagine a farmer's delight at being able to pick corn with a machine and not by hand.
Part of the Boyceville-Wheeler “Old Roads” series.
Old maps can be fascinating! Our family has a battered 1915 plat book for Dunn County that has probably been in the family since it was new. You might think that our current roads more or less follow along the routes laid out by the pioneers – until you really look at an old map! In the map montage shown here, you won’t find State Highway 170 at all – the idea of a state highway did not even exist until 1917 when Wisconsin enacted the first numbered highway system in the world. Highway 170 was not extended west of Wheeler until 1947! Maybe there were too many marshes to cross? Instead, there were two routes, only one of which survives today.
As you work your way along this series of mostly easy park and grabs, take a moment to look around and compare today’s view to the 1915 map. Some roads from 1915 vanished seemingly without a trace, unless you are an archeologist.