1957 Map of Chicago

About this map

Lake Michigan dominates the northern horizon of this mid-century landscape, where the industrial might of the Gary Steel Works and Inland Steel Works defines the shoreline transition from Chicago into Northwest Indiana. The map captures a critical era of infrastructure expansion, showcasing the newly developing Indiana Toll Road and the Congress Street Expressway as they began to reshape regional travel. Beyond the urban sprawl of Hammond and East Chicago, the land softens into the ecological diversity of the Indiana Dunes and the vast drainage projects of the Kankakee River basin.