PAPERS ON GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY 393 



MAX AXD TOPOGEAPHY IX SOUTHWESTERX 

 TVISCOXSIX 



TV. 0. Blaxchakd. ITxr-eesity of Illinois 



The topography of southwestern Wisconsin, south of 

 the "Wisconsin Eiver and west of the glaciated section, 

 is in marked contrast to that farther east. The first is 

 characterized by a rough, maturely dissected surface with 

 precipitous slopes and castellated rocks: the second by 

 gently rolling topography with the rounded hills, gentle 

 slopes and shallow valleys typical of a recently glaciated 

 region. 



Within the district itself the degree of dissection is 

 not uniform. Eoughly parallel to, and about 10 to 12 

 miles south of the Wisconsin Elver is the Military Eidge. 

 It represents the crest of the Galena Trenton cuesta. 

 The escarpment slope of the cuesta drops off rapidly 

 from the Eidge to the flood plain of the Wisconsin Eiver 

 500 feet below. On the opposite side the back slope dips 

 gently southward to the Wisconsin-Illinois state line 

 about 35 miles away. This latter slope is about one- 

 fourth the former and the dissection of the surface is, 

 therefore, correspondingly less. 



Of the various geographical factors which have oper- 

 ated to differentiate man's activities in this region as a 

 whole from those in the region to the east, as well as 

 those on the escarpment from those on the back slope, 

 topography has by all odds been the most important. 

 Differences of climate, position and resources are negli- 

 gible in comparison with those of relief. 



The handicap of a maturely dissected terrain is felt 

 directly or indirectly by aU the inhabitants and in all 

 occupations. Along two lines — communications and agri- 

 cultural activities — the influence is most marked. Some 

 of these are indicated below. 



Because of the geographical location of southwestern 

 Wisconsin on an air line between the great transporta- 

 tion centers of Chicago and the Twin Cities, one would 

 expect it to be on the line of the great transcontinental 



