Title: John B. Vliet Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1853

Creator:

• Vliet, John B.

Call Number: Local History Manuscript Collection 56

Quantity: 0.7 cubic ft. (1 box)

Repository:

Milwaukee Public Library, Frank P. Zeidler Room

Archival Location:

Milwaukee Public Library (Map)

Abstract:

This collection contains the papers of John B. Vliet (1822-1910). It is primarily comprised of maps he drew for the La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad Company in the early 1850s.

Note:

To request materials from this collection, create/login to your Special Collections Account.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.mwpl-lhmc0056

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John Black Vliet was born in 1822 in Wilmington, Ohio. His family moved to Milwaukee in 1837 and at the same time began accompanying his father on land surveying expeditions to various states. In 1848, while serving as the City Engineer for Milwaukee, he located the line of the Milwaukee & Prairie du Chien Railroad. He was also part of an effort to build ten miles of plank road between Milwaukee and Fond du Lac between 1850 and 1851. In August 1862 he had himself sworn in as a soldier in the Civil War and worked as a freelance recruiter. He recruited a large number of soldiers before receiving an official commission as a captain in the 31st Regiment of Wisconsin Infantry Volunteers. He was taken prisoner in June 1864 and escaped in October, traveling almost 450 miles back to Union lines. After the war, he served as Chief Engineer of what would become known as the Leavenworth, Lawrence, & Galveston Railroad in Kansas until 1870. He then came back to Wisconsin, where he operated a flour mill near Dartford. He returned to Milwaukee in 1882, and worked in a pension agency business. He died in 1910.

This collection contains materials from John B. Vliet and his cartography work in Wisconsin. The majority of the collection is comprised of maps created by Vliet. They are quarter section maps of various townships and ranges in Wisconsin. Also included is a single letter written by Vliet to his brother Jasper in 1853, which is probably around the time when the maps were drawn. In the letter, he describes the maps and presents them to Jasper. The collection also contains detailed descriptions of lines for the La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad Company, specifically the Iron Ridge line. However, the bottom half of the last page is torn off. There is also a brief historical note concerning the “Red Bridge”, the first bridge across the Milwaukee River, built in 1840. A 1837 survey of the west side of the river in Milwaukee by Garret Vliet is included as well. This drawing may by a copy by an unknown person at an unknown date.

The collection is in alphabetical order.

Vliet, John B., Papers, 1853, Collection 56. Local History Manuscript Collections, Milwaukee Public Library, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Circular to the Stockholders: Together with the Act of Congress, and the Legislation of Wisconsin, Granting Land to Said Company, and Papers Relating to Said Railroad

Map of the La Crosse & Milwaukee Rail Road and Connections

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials. The collection is open to all in accordance with state law. The public may view Local History Manuscript Collections by appointment at the Central Library. To request an in-person appointment, create/login to your Special Collections Account. If you have any questions, please contact the Archives and Special Collections Department at mplarchives@milwaukee.gov.

Use Restrictions

The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

Acquisition Information

The collection was presented by Mrs. Earl Sacks, great-granddaughter of Jasper Vliet, to the Milwaukee Public Library on 14 May 1965. Materials were accessioned as Local History Manuscripts.

Processing Information

Described by Charles Tonelli, Fieldwork Student, 2013. Processed by Bob Jaeger, 2019.

Box   1 Folder   1	Correspondence, letter to brother Jasper, 1853
Box   1 Folder   1	Iron Ridge Line Description, undated
Box   1 Folder   1	Lake Information Sheet, undated
	Maps
Box   1 Folder   2	Townships 11-13, 6 maps, undated
Box   1 Folder   2	Tracings, Townships 9-13, 9 maps, undated
Box   1 Folder   2	Unidentified Maps and Blank Quarter Sections, 6 maps, undated
Box   1 Folder   1	Vliet, Garret, 1837 survey of the west side of the river of the City of Milwaukee (copy?), undated
Box   1 Folder   1	"Red Bridge", historical note, undated