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1949 Map of Coal Valley

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Coal Valley
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1949
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1949

About this map

Coal Valley and the surrounding river bottomlands are captured here just after World War II, illustrating an era when coal extraction and agriculture coexisted alongside the industrial expansion of Moline. The northern reaches are dominated by the Rock River and the Illinois and Mississippi Canal, where features like the Rock River View Dam and various sloughs—including Coaltown Slough and Greenwood Slough—define the landscape.

South of the river, the terrain rises into the dissected uplands of Coal Valley and Colona townships. Local industry is evident at the Black Hawk Mine and Gem Mine, while the rural social fabric is preserved through a dense network of country schools such as Kingdom Sch, County Training Sch, and Mt Pleasant Sch. The presence of the Metropolitan Airport and the Chicago Burlington and Quincy railroad highlights the transportation infrastructure connecting these small mining and farming communities to the larger Quad Cities region.