Loading map...

1969 Map of Beckemeyer

Name: 1969 Topographic Map of Beckemeyer
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1971
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1971

About this map

Beckemeyer and Bartelso anchor this mid-century look at Clinton County, where the agricultural landscape meets the active petroleum and transportation industries of Southern Illinois. The map documents an extensive rail network, with the Baltimore and Ohio and Southern lines cutting east-west across a terrain defined by the winding Kaskaskia River and its associated bottomlands. The presence of the Bartelso Oil Field and the Germantown East Oil Field illustrates the region's reliance on mineral extraction, while the numerous family and parish burial grounds, such as St Anthonys Cem and Maddux Cem, provide essential data for genealogical research.

Water management is a central theme, evidenced by a series of levees and a Drainage Ditch system designed to tame the Santa Fe Bottoms. To the east, the edge of Carlyle is visible, featuring the County Fairground and a Drive-in Theater, highlighting the local social hubs of the 1960s. The intricate network of oxbow lakes, including Big Swan Lake and Hog Lake, marks the shifting course of the river through the Pelican Pouch area.