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1949 Map of Danville SW

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Danville SW
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1960
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

The Vermilion River carves a deep path through the north, where Kickapoo State Park borders active and former extraction sites, including a massive Strip Mine. This 1949 survey illustrates an era of industrial and rail dominance southwest of Danville, where the Illinois Terminal, Wabash, and New York Central railroads converge to serve the region's coal operations.

Evidence of the area's diverse immigrant and community history is preserved in its many burial grounds, from the Lithuanian Cem near Westville to the rural Gods Acre Cem. The map captures several small mining-influenced settlements like Belgium, Kellyville, and Hegeler before modern suburban expansion fully reshaped the landscape. Notable local institutions of the period, such as the County Home and the Municipal Airport, anchor the outskirts of the growing urban centers.