Produced and published during a period of significant prosperity, Watertown became a transportation hub for the region as the expansion of rail lines across the American West opened access and allowed for numerous towns and communities to be established throughout the latter portion of the nineteenth century. In the years following the conclusion of the American Civil War, westward expansion was flourishing, and Watertown was considered to be named the State Capital when South Dakota achieved statehood in 1889, only six years after this map's publication. Watertown is located on the banks of the Big Sioux River, a tributary of the Mississippi River that allowed for early traders to move goods into the area from larger markets on the Mississippi.

This bird's eye perspective was produced by the prominent cartographer Joseph John Stoner in partnership with his frequent collaborators, Beck & Pauli, whose lithography firm was based in Milwaukee. This trio created numerous panoramic maps of various towns and cities across the United States designed as marketing materials to entice residents and merchants alike by promoting notable civic features, natural attractions, and economic opportunities that brought immigrants from across America, Eastern, and Western Europe that established neighborhoods and communities based on cultural lines, many of which exist to this day.

In the years following the conclusion of the American Civil War, the region continued to o and expand. This is a unique piece of American cartographical history with a distinct style that transports the viewer back in time.

Produced and published during a period of significant prosperity, Watertown became a transportation hub for the region as the expansion of rail lines across the American West opened access and allowed for numerous towns and communities to be established throughout the latter portion of the nineteenth century. In the years following the conclusion of the American Civil War, westward expansion was flourishing, and Watertown was considered to be named the State Capital when South Dakota achieved statehood in 1889, only six years after this map's publication. Watertown is located on the banks of the Big Sioux River, a tributary of the Mississippi River that allowed for early traders to move goods into the area from larger markets on the Mississippi.

This bird's eye perspective was produced by the prominent cartographer Joseph John Stoner in partnership with his frequent collaborators, Beck & Pauli, whose lithography firm was based in Milwaukee. This trio created numerous panoramic maps of various towns and cities across the United States designed as marketing materials to entice residents and merchants alike by promoting notable civic features, natural attractions, and economic opportunities that brought immigrants from across America, Eastern, and Western Europe that established neighborhoods and communities based on cultural lines, many of which exist to this day.

In the years following the conclusion of the American Civil War, the region continued to o and expand. This is a unique piece of American cartographical history with a distinct style that transports the viewer back in time.