1890's Map Plates - Georeferenced Images of Maps Produced by the Mississippi River Commission

Citation:

Citation Information:

Originator: Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
Publication Date: 10/1/2005
Title: 1890's Map Plates - Georeferenced Images of Maps Produced by the Mississippi River Commission
Geospatial Data Presentation Form: georeferenced images
Publication Information:

Publication Place: La Crosse, Wisconsin
Publisher: Upper Midwest Enviornmental Sciences Center

Online Linkage: www.umesc.usgs.gov

Description:

Abstract:
In the late 1880's and early 1900's the Mississippi River Commission (MRC) conducted an extensive high-resolution survey of the Mississippi River from Cairo, Illinois to Minneapolis, Minnesota. These data were published as a series of 89 survey maps and index. In 2005, the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) scanned an archived set of the map plates produced by the MRC and georeferenced the images so they could be used in geographic information system (GIS) software programs in conjunction with other data sets. The maps themselves were "reduced from detail maps, projected and drawn from surveys made under the direction of the Mississippi River Commission in the years 1880 to 1882, 1884, 1888, 1889, and 1891 to 1899 - expecting the part below the upper limits of Cairo, Ill., which was reduced from maps projected and drawn from surveys made under the direction of C.B.Comstock, Major, Corps of Engineers, Bvt. Brig. Genl., U.S.A., in the years 1876 and 1877. The remainder of the map was compiled from surveys of the Missouri River Commission; surveys of the Corps of Engineers, U.S.A.; U.S. Land surveys; Railroad surveys; State, County and Township maps and other reliable sources. Compiled and drawn under the direction of J.A.Ockerson, Principal Assistant Engineer, and C.W.Clark, Assistant Engineer, in the office of the Secretary of the Mississippi River Commission, by C.S.Clark, Assistant Engineer, H.A.H.d'Ailly and A.A.Aguirre."
Purpose:
The Mississippi River Commission Maps were scanned and georeferenced by the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center to help provide access to an important pre-impoundment/turn of the century data set, in a format that can be used with geographic information system (GIS) software programs.
Supplemental Information:
Information contained within the map plates include;
Hydrology -- The location of the Mississippi River, its main channel, side channels, backwaters, and tributaries are recorded on the maps. Additional hydrologic information includes; depth soundings for the river and most of the other hydrologic features (based on accessibility?), locations of Wing Dams, closing dams, major dock facilities, dredged channels, and navigation beacons and lights. Additionally, the locations of surveyed structures (mostly wing dams) that were proposed for construction are also documented. Additional information printed on the maps plates include; background information on the elevation of the river at the time the depth soundings were collected, normal river elevation, and the highest and lowest recorded river elevations at that time.

Topology -- As noted underneath the topic of hydrology, numerous water depth measurements were collected. The terrestrial areas were also surveyed, these data are represented on the maps as elevation contours. While the intervals between elevation contours vary, 5 foot intervals are common across the flatter portions of the river’s floodplain. Background information on how the elevation contours and depth soundings were derived are documented on each map plate.

Land Cover -- Detailed land cover information was collected by the Commission’s surveyors and recorded on the maps. The information is displayed through the use of map symbols. Within the maps some of the names of the more notable plant species are recorded (mostly tree species), though the boundaries between species aren’t always discernable. Unfortunately the individuals who compiled the maps did not produce a symbol legend. At the time the maps were produced, map symbols were standardized. As result, the creation of symbol legends were considered unnecessary. Over the years individuals at the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center have consulted with several historians as to the meanings of the various map symbols. Unfortunately, at the time the georeferenced images were created, the exact definitions of a couple of the land cover types were still unknown.

Human Land Use information -- Fairly detailed land use and land ownership information are documented on the maps. The locations of cities, towns, and individual buildings were documented in a style that is similar to the way in which such features are shown in modern U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps. The locations of individual city streets are shown, and identified by name. In most of the communities the locations of individual houses and other buildings are represented by rectangles, except for some highly developed areas such as downtown St. Louis. In some areas the Commission maps also resemble present day Plat Maps, in that many of the land owners and their property boundaries are documented. Additional items such as the locations of proposed roads, railroads, and levees appear on the maps. In some areas the name of the person or organization who constructed or is planning to construct these features is also recorded.

Time Period of Content:

Time Period Information:

Range of Dates/Times:

Beginning Date: 1/1/1880
Ending Date: 12/31/1889

Currentness Reference: Observation or sampling date.

Status:

Progress: Complete
Maintenance and Update Frequency: As needed

Spatial Domain:

Bounding Coordinates:

West Bounding Coordinate: -93.385801
East Bounding Coordinate: -89.06796
North Bounding Coordinate: 45.23886
South Bounding Coordinate: 36.90436

Keywords:

Theme:

Theme Keyword Thesaurus: none
Theme Keyword: Historic Map
Theme Keyword: Forest
Theme Keyword: Land cover
Theme Keyword: Land use
Theme Keyword: Marshes
Theme Keyword: River
Theme Keyword: Swamp
Theme Keyword: Vegetation
Theme Keyword: Wetlands
Theme Keyword: Elevation

Place:

Place Keyword Thesaurus: Geographic Names Information System
Place Keyword: Illinois
Place Keyword: Iowa
Place Keyword: Minnesota
Place Keyword: Missouri
Place Keyword: Wisconsin
Place Keyword: Mississippi River
Place Keyword: Upper Mississippi River
Place Keyword: Mississippi River

Access Constraints:
These data are distributed as MrSid format compressed georeferenced images. The ability to read and use this file format is required. If you need a viewer for these data, freeware viewers (and for purchase items) are available at http://www.lizardtech.com/
Use Constraints: none
Point of Contact:

Contact Information:

Contact Organization Primary:

Contact Organization: USGS - Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center

Contact Position: Spatial Analysis and Computer Technology Branch
Contact Address:

Address Type: mailing and physical address
Address: U.S. Geological Survey; Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center; 2630 Fanta Reed Road;
City: La Crosse
State or Province: Wisconsin
Postal Code: 54603-1223
Country: USA

Contact Voice Telephone: 608-783-6451
Contact Facsimile Telephone: 608-783-6066
Contact Electronic Mail Address: metadata_coordinator@umesc.er.usgs.gov
Hours of Service: 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday Through Friday

Attribute Accuracy:

Attribute Accuracy Report: n/a

Logical Consistency Report:
As the georeferenced images were created, each processing step included procedures used to check the content and spatial accuracy of that step’s product. If at any time the product does not meet the standards set for that processing procedure, the procedure is repeated.
Completeness Report:
All map sheets covering the Mississippi River from Saint Anthony Falls located in Minneapolis, MN to the confluence of the Mississippi with the Ohio River near Cairo, IL were scanned and georeferenced.
Positional Accuracy:

Horizontal Positional Accuracy:

Horizontal Positional Accuracy Report:
The horizontal positional accuracy of each point and for the overall map sheet was tracked in real time using both software programs, ArcView and ArcGIS. Poor control points are immediately apparent because the point will show a high offset, and the map’s overall RMS error value will also increase. If a point’s offset error is greater than 15 pixels/30 meters, that point is discarded and another control point is selected. In addition to monitoring the map RMS as each control point is added, the feature-to-feature alignment process has the advantage of being able to visually confirm map’s alignment to a digital raster graphic (DRG) or digital orthophoto quadrangle (DOQ).
Lineage:

Source Information:

Source Citation:

Citation Information:

Originator: Mississippi River Commission
Publication Date: 1/1/1890
Title: 1890's Mississippi River Commission Maps
Geospatial Data Presentation Form: Paper Map
Publication Information:

Publication Place: unknown
Publisher: Mississippi River Commission

Source Scale Denominator: 20000
Source Time Period of Content:

Time Period Information:

Range of Dates/Times:

Beginning Date: 1/1/1880
Beginning Time: Unknown
Ending Date: 12/31/1889
Ending Time: Unknown

Source Currentness Reference: Dates of surveys

Source Citation Abbreviation: 1890s MRC Maps

Source Information:

Source Citation:

Citation Information:

Originator: Unknown
Publication Date: Unknown
Title: 1890s Historical Map Legend
Publication Information:

Publication Place: unknown
Publisher: unknown

Other Citation Details:
At the time the MRC maps were published, a standard set of map symbols were used to shade areas that had been interpreted to identify land cover/use information. A map legend for these symbols was not included in the MRC map series, as the symbols were considered already known by the maps' target audience. A historian at the University of Wisconsin - Madison was consulted and a legend was located during the early 1990s. Unfortunately descriptions for the legend entries were not included. It took almost four years and discussions with several other historians to piece together definitions for most of the land cover/use classifications.
Source Time Period of Content:

Time Period Information:

Single Date/Time:

Time of Day: Unknown

Source Citation Abbreviation: 1890s Historical Map Legend
Source Contribution: Provided classification information for the MRC maps.

Source Information:

Source Citation:

Citation Information:

Originator: U.S. Geological Survey
Publication Date: varies
Title: USGS 7.5-minute topographic maps
Geospatial Data Presentation Form: Georeferenced .tif images
Series Information:

Series Name: 7.5-minute topographic quadrangles

Publication Information:

Publication Place: EROS Data Center
Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey

Source Scale Denominator: 24000
Type of Source Media: CD-ROM
Source Time Period of Content:

Time Period Information:

Range of Dates/Times:

Beginning Date: 1948
Beginning Time: Unknown
Ending Date: 1991
Ending Time: Unknown

Source Currentness Reference: publication date

Source Citation Abbreviation: DRGs
Source Contribution: Provide georeferencing information.

Source Information:

Source Citation:

Citation Information:

Originator: U.S. Geological Survey; National Mapping Discipline
Publication Date: varies
Title: Digital Orthophoto Quadrangles
Geospatial Data Presentation Form: georeferenced digital image
Publication Information:

Publication Place: Sioux Falls, SD
Publisher: USGS - EROS Data Center

Other Citation Details:
A digital orthophoto is a digital image of an aerial photograph in which displacements caused by the camera and the terrain have been removed. It combines the image characteristics of a photograph with the geometric qualities of a map. The standard digital orthophoto produced by the USGS is a black-and-white, or color infrared, 1-meter ground resolution quarter quadrangle image. The accuracy and quality of USGS digital orthophotos must meet National Map Accuracy Standards at 1:12,000 scale for 3.75-minute quadrangles and at 1:24,000-scale for 7.5-minute quadrangles.
Online Linkage: http://nsdi.usgs.gov/products/doq.html; www.umesc.usgs.gov; http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/data_library/maps_quads_figs/doq.html

Source Scale Denominator: 12000
Type of Source Media: Digital database file
Source Time Period of Content:

Time Period Information:

Multiple Dates/Times:

Single Date/Time:

Time of Day: Unknown

Source Currentness Reference: ground condition

Source Citation Abbreviation: DOQs
Source Contribution: Provide georeferencing information.

Process Step:

Process Description:
A copy of the Mississippi River maps created by the Mississippi River Commission and printed in the 1890s was obtained. The maps were allowed to stabilize, by storing them flat in a map tray within an air conditioned/humidity controlled room for approximately 6 months. Afterwards, the individual map plates were laminated to protect them from further deterioration.
Process Date: July 1990 thru February 1991

Process Step:

Process Description: The map sheets were scanned in grayscale (8-bit, 256 colors) using a large format Colortrac 380Gx+ color scanner, at 300 dots per inch.
Process Date: 6/1/2005 thru 9/30/2005

Process Step:

Process Description: The .tif images created by the Colortrac 380Gx+ scanner were brought into the software package OrthoMapper where they were cropped to the interior border of each map sheet.
Process Date: 6/1/2005 thru 9/30/2005

Process Step:

Process Description: After cropping, each image had its contrast auto-enhanced using the software program PaintShop Pro version 7. This process lightened the background and darkened the map’s linework.
Process Date: 6/1/2005 thru 9/30/2005

Process Step:

Process Description:
The extension program Image Analysis for the software program ArcView 3.3 or the georeferencing tool in the software program ArcGIS version 9.0 was then used to register each of the map sheets to a U.S. Geological Survey digital raster graphics (DRG, scanned and georeferenced topographic quadrangle) or a digital orthophoto quadrangles (DOQ, scanned and georectified images). A minimum of six registration points were used to register each map sheet. The points selected for the registration process were permanent, human-made features, whose coordinates were obtained using a feature-to-feature alignment by clicking the location on the unreferenced map and then clicking the same feature on the referenced DRG or DOQ. During the registration process an overall root mean square (RMS) value of 12 pixels/24 meters had to be achieved, or the registration process was repeated.
Process Date: 6/1/2005 thru 9/30/2005

Process Step:

Process Description:
The individual map sheets were then combined using either the ‘Mosaic” function of ArcView’s Image Analysis Extension or the Geospatial Encoder software developed by LizardTech. The spatial accuracy of the combined images was checked by overlaying the completed mosaic over DRG and DOQ images.
Process Date: 6/1/2005 thru 9/30/2005

Process Step:

Process Description:
Combined graphics that contained black NoData areas (areas within the mosaic that weren’t covered by the individual map sheets) had their black pixels converted to white pixels using the software program PaintShop Pro.
Process Date: 6/1/2005 thru 9/30/2005

Process Step:

Process Description:
The file sizes of the mosaics were then reduced to 80 megabytes or less using the software program MrSid. Most of the files were compressed using compression ratios of 5:1 or 7:1. The lower compression ratios produced larger sized image files, though the image quality in these large files is clearer.
Process Date: 6/1/2005 thru 9/30/2005
Process Contact:

Contact Information:

Contact Organization Primary:

Contact Organization: USGS - Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center

Contact Position: Spatial Analysis and Computer Technology Branch
Contact Address:

Address Type: mailing and physical address
Address: U.S. Geological Survey; Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center; 2630 Fanta Reed Road;
City: La Crosse
State or Province: Wisconsin
Postal Code: 54603-1223
Country: USA

Contact Voice Telephone: 608-783-6451
Contact Facsimile Telephone: 608-783-6066
Contact Electronic Mail Address: metadata_coordinator@umesc.er.usgs.gov
Hours of Service: 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday Through Friday

Direct Spatial Reference Method: Raster

Horizontal Coordinate System Definition:

Planar:

Grid Coordinate System:

Grid Coordinate System Name: Universal Transverse Mercator 1927
Universal Transverse Mercator:

UTM Zone Number: 15
Transverse Mercator:

Scale Factor at Central Meridian: 0.9996
Longitude of Central Meridian: -93
Latitude of Projection Origin: 0
False Easting: 500000
False Northing: 0

Planar Coordinate Information:

Planar Coordinate Encoding Method: Distance and Bearing

Geodetic Model:

Horizontal Datum Name: North American Datum of 1927
Ellipsoid Name: Clarke 1866
Semi-major Axis: 6378206
Denominator of Flattening Ratio: 294.9786982

Distributor:

Contact Information:

Contact Organization Primary:

Contact Organization: USGS - Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center

Contact Position: Spatial Analysis and Computer Technology Branch
Contact Address:

Address Type: mailing and physical address
Address: U.S. Geological Survey; Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center; 2630 Fanta Reed Road;
City: La Crosse
State or Province: Wisconsin
Postal Code: 54603-1223
Country: USA

Contact Voice Telephone: 608-783-6451
Contact Facsimile Telephone: 608-783-6066
Contact Electronic Mail Address: metadata_coordinator@umesc.er.usgs.gov
Hours of Service: 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday Through Friday

Distribution Liability:
Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the U.S. Geological Survey, no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the accuracy or utility of the data on any other system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. This disclaimer applies both to individual use of the data and aggregate use with other data. It is strongly recommended that these data are directly acquired from a U.S. Geological Survey server, and not indirectly through other sources which may have changed the data in some way. It is also strongly recommended that careful attention be paid to the contents of the metadata file associated with these data. The U.S. Geological Survey shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein.
Available Time Period:

Time Period Information:

Single Date/Time:

Calendar Date: 8/15/1975
Time of Day: Unknown

Metadata Date: 10/7/2005
Metadata Review Date: 10/7/2005
Metadata Future Review Date:
Metadata Contact:

Contact Information:

Contact Organization Primary:

Contact Organization: USGS - Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center

Contact Position: Spatial Analysis and Computer Technology Branch
Contact Address:

Address Type: mailing and physical address
Address: U.S. Geological Survey; Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center; 2630 Fanta Reed Road;
City: La Crosse
State or Province: Wisconsin
Postal Code: 54603-1223
Country: USA

Contact Voice Telephone: 608-783-6451
Contact Facsimile Telephone: 608-783-6066
Contact Electronic Mail Address: metadata_coordinator@umesc.er.usgs.gov
Hours of Service: 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday Through Friday

Metadata Standard Name: NBII Content Standard for National Biological Information Infrastructure Metadata
Metadata Standard Version: December 1995
Metadata Access Constraints: none
Metadata Use Constraints: none
Metadata Security Information:

Metadata Security Classification System: none