It was not agriculture that provided Wisconsin with it's first rush of settlement in the 1830s. It was lead mining that drew 10's of thousands of hardy souls to the lead mining territory bounded by Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, Dubuque, Iowa, and Galena, Illinois.

This map illustrates a portion of the Crawford County Lead Mine region bounded by the Wisconsin River to the North and the Mississippi River to the West. Accompanying verbiage details production and other data relating to the early industry, including the names and locations of smelters, furnaces, mines, etc.

Many of the settlements noted in 1839 are still in existence today, including Mineral Point, Dodgeville, Schullsburg and more. Miners from Cornwall England are commemorated in such names as "English Prairie." Scattered throughout are "Taverns" where miners could find rough lodging and meals, though many miners simply dug holes in the ground for shelter, leading to the Wisconsin nickname, "Badgers."