FRENCH SURVEY

Green Bay, Brown County. September, 1957. Altitude c. 3,000 ft. Long rectangular property lines, a result of the so-called "French Long Lot" system, are evident perpendicular to the Lower Fox River (lower, extending from lower left to upper right) southwest of Green Bay. Section lines imposed by the later U.S. Public Land Survey system are visible in the middle distance (roads extending directly away from the observer). The runways of Austin Straubel Airport are seen at far right. This is a high oblique view to the west. Haze obscures distant features. The French were the first Europeans to inhabit parts of Wisconsin, beginning in the 1600s. The cities of Green Bay and Prairie du Chien are the oldest communities in the state and some of the original survey units, such as seen in this image, persist today.