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1901 Map of Chicago

Name: 1901 Topographic Map of Chicago
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1913
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1913

About this map

The dense industrial and residential growth of Niles and the surrounding Chicago metropolis is frozen in time at the turn of the century. This survey documents a critical period of hydraulic engineering, featuring the newly completed Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal alongside the older Illinois and Michigan Canal. These waterways, along with the North Branch and South Branch Chicago River, defined the city's early transport and sanitation corridors.

A labyrinth of rail lines like the Wisconsin Central R. R. and the Illinois Central R. R. service developing neighborhoods such as Mayfair, Elsdon, and Chicago Lawn. For genealogists, the map provides precise locations for major burial grounds including Rose Hill Cemetery, Graceland Cem., and Oakwoods Cemetery. Offshore, a series of Cribs and the Waterworks Crib L.H. indicate the infrastructure required to draw fresh water from Lake Michigan.