TOPOGRAPHY. 125 



The Blue Mounds, in the northeastern part of Iowa County, 

 are remarkable elevations, the greatest height being 1,001 

 feet above the level of the Wisconsin at Arena, in the same 

 longitude, as measured by Dr. Locke. They are about twelve 

 miles from the river, south ; and thirty from Madison, nearly 



west. 



St. Croix is a new county, west of Crawford, on the St. 

 Croix and Missisippi Rivers. Though far to the north it is 

 finely situated upon the Missisippi, and has very superior ad- 

 vantages for the lumber trade. It has great forest wealth, 

 containing probably the best pine region in the United States 

 next to the lumber tracts of Maine. With this valuable ar- 

 ticle of trade, and with very superior facilities for getting it 

 to a most extensive and rapidly increasing market— there 

 must of necessity be a very large business done in this di- 

 rection. It is the opinion of the writer that this portion of 

 the district also contains large deposits of copper ore. The 

 eastern boundary of this county is the Chippeway River, and 

 a Ime thence running northeasterly to the Michigan state line, 

 and with that line to the Lake : its western is coterminous 

 with the Territory ; its northern with the United States, ex- 

 tending from about 44i° to 49^. Such was its boundary till 

 1845, when it was divided, and La Pointe, a new county, 

 made in 1845, has been taken from that portion of St. Croix 

 which was north of the mouth of Muddy River and Yellow 



Lake. 



Crawford county is also of great extent ; including nearly 

 the whole space northerly from the Wisconsin to the Michigan 

 state line. This county has the Wisconsin on the south, the 

 Missisippi southwest, the Chippeway on the west. It is 

 watered also by the Bad Axe, Black River, Prairie La Crosse, 

 and several other streams. Its breadth from east to west is 

 by no means proportioned to its great north and south stretch. 



