Eau Claire: Street Patterns

The U.S. Ordinance of 1785 established the Township and Range survey system west of Ohio, which resulted in the gridiron pattern of rural and city roads, and farm and field boundaries. The geometric pattern of streets tells us about the city's river, railroad, and highway orientations and patterns of growth.

In Eau Claire three patterns are present:

• 1) The sections labeled A on the map follow the cardinal directions of the Township and Range survey.
• 2) The B sections follow the curves of the Chippewa River.
• 3) Section C reflects a change in character. Developers tried to give the suburbs a different feel with irregular street patterns from the gridiron streets of the older sections.