1901 Map of Chicago

About this map

Lake Michigan dominates the eastern edge of this dense urban survey, where the early industrial and social geography of the city is laid bare before the heavy lakefront infill of the later 20th century. The intricate shoreline features several Waterworks Crib L.H. structures, essential to the city's growing infrastructure. Inland, the map reveals a complex aquatic network including the North Branch Chicago River and the significant engineering feat of the Sanitary and Ship Canal alongside the older Illinois and Michigan Canal. Large managed landscapes like Rose Hill Cemetery and Graceland Cem. stand out against the tight street grid, while the southern lakefront is defined by the early layouts of Jackson Park and Windsor Park. These features, combined with the radial web of railroads like the Grand Trunk R.R. and Belt Line, illustrate a city rapidly consolidating its industrial and residential districts.