Loading map...

1901 Map of Chicago

Name: 1901 Topographic Map of Chicago
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1920
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1920

About this map

Lake Michigan dominates the eastern edge of this dense urban study, where the city's complex relationship with water is clearly delineated. The massive engineering projects of the era are on full display, notably the Sanitary and Ship Canal and the older Illinois and Michigan Canal as they diverge from the South Branch Chicago River. Offshore, several Cribs and the Waterworks Crib L.H. mark the critical infrastructure used to draw fresh water from the lake for a rapidly growing population.

A massive network of railroads, including the Wisconsin Central R. R. and the Pittsburg Cincinnati Chicago and St. Louis R. R., crisscrosses the landscape, serving industrial hubs like Hawthorne and residential outposts such as Mayfair and Chicago Lawn. Local historians will find the detailed footprints of significant burial grounds, from Rose Hill Cemetery in the north to Oakwood Cemetery in the south, alongside the refined layouts of Jackson Park and Washington Park.