The U.S. Census is a rich and valuable source of information useful for documenting our nation’s history.   In 1790, under U.S. Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, the U.S. Marshals conducted the first survey of the nation’s people.   As required by the Enumeration Clause of the U.S. Constitution, a count of the nation’s people has happened every 10 years since. 

Through the   GIS Center  and   Archives and Area Research Center , UW-Stevens Point intends to share the methods refined in this project. These methods and training venues will assist others to explore their local histories through the lens of the U.S. Census.

The process begins with the release of the historical census. Following the “72-Year Rule,” the National Archives releases census records to the general public 72 years after Census Day, including original address data.

Geocoding is an automated technique that transforms a table of addresses (e.g. street name and number, city, state, and zip code) to a point location at Earth's surface. The technique compares addresses from an input database like the census, to the addresses of a digital locator service. When the addresses between the database and the locator match, a location on the map is created. Below is an example of a table of addresses being converted to points on the map. ArcGIS Pro 3.0 and the Portage County locator were used for this project.

Maps are a form of graphical communication and one of humanity's oldest ways to communicate with each other. Maps pull at human feelings because they are tied to a geography that humans need to live, work, and play. Esri's story mapping platform marries the map to other multimedia and uses the internet to inspire, persuade, inform, or educate an audience.

The default view icon looks like a house symbol. Clicking on this icon returns the user to the default map view, often a zoomed-out view.

Click on a map feature, like a point or a flag, and information will pop-up showing more information about it. This location has four overlapping data points. Use the arrows at the top to explore each of the four data points. Use the slider bar at the right-hand side to scroll down through the list of characteristics. Note that this person's place of birth is Wisconsin.

( see here for other potential photos:  https://content.mpl.org/digital/collection/mcml/search/searchterm/Photographs!Rosholt%20Collection/field/subjec!relati/mode/exact!exact/conn/and!and/order/title )

Contracted work