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1901 Map of Calumet

Name: 1901 Topographic Map of Calumet
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1911
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1911

About this map

Calumet Lake and its surrounding wetlands anchor this turn-of-the-century portrait of a region rapidly industrializing. The landscape is defined by a dense web of competing rail lines, including the Ill. Cent. R. R. and the Chicago Terminal Transfer R. R., which fuel the growth of company towns like Pullman and manufacturing centers such as Harvey and Blue Island. These corridors connect established residential areas like Morgan Park and Washington Heights with the heavy industrial reaches near Wolf Lake and the Illinois Indiana State Boundary Line.

Beyond the urban grid, the map documents significant social and civic landmarks, from the expansive grounds of Mt. Olivet Cemetery and Mt. Hope Cemetery to the Glenwood Industrial School in the south. The course of the Little Calumet River and Thorn Creek provide a natural contrast to the surveyed streets of South Holland and Lansing, revealing the original drainage patterns of the Calumet region before modern channelization altered the flow toward Lake Michigan.