Loading map...

2012 Map of Charleston South

Name: 2012 Topographic Map of Charleston South
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2012
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2012

About this map

The southern outskirts of Charleston and the surrounding prairie landscape are defined by the meandering course of the Embarras River and its numerous tributaries. The campus of Eastern Illinois University occupies a significant portion of the northern edge, leading south into a rural terrain punctuated by an exceptional density of family and community burial grounds, including the Old Charleston Cem, Shiloh Cem, and Mount Tabor Cem. To the east, Lake Charleston and the smaller Ridge Lake provide focal points for the landscape, while the lower reaches of the map transitions into the preserved acreage of Fox Ridge State Park.

Tracing the historical crossings of the Embarras River, the presence of Halls Ford, Walker Ford, and Blakemans Ford indicates old transportation routes that predated modern bridge infrastructure. The southern portion of the map includes the settlements of Janesville, Campbell, and Diona, situated near the wide expanse of Goosenest Prairie. This survey preserves the exact locations of these rural points of interest alongside the networks of creeks like Kickapoo Cr and N Fork Indian Cr.