Wisconsin Historical Society

Primary source

Manuscript

The 1857 diary of railroad surveyor Andrew M. Davis.

Survey account, 1857.

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About this record

Andrew McFarland Davis kept this diary of his experiences as a member of an 1857 surveying crew for a projected line of the La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad. In it, he describes the changing terrain, working conditions, and mishaps encountered over four months in the field. A shorter, edited version published in 1911 is also presented on the Turning Points site, and by comparing the two readers can see how memory, desire, and the publishing process influence historical sources.

Citation

Davis, Andrew McFarland. "Survey account, 1857." Manuscript in the Wisconsin Historical Society Archives (SC 2228).