1901 Map of Des Plaines

About this map

The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and the older Illinois and Michigan Canal parallel one another through the glacial valley of the Des Plaines River, highlighting a critical corridor of late-nineteenth-century engineering. This industrial backbone connects the quarries and settlements of Lemont and Sag Bridge to the broader Chicago terminal network. Away from the water, the landscape transitions into the rolling moraine of Mount Forest and the agricultural townships of Orland and Frankfort. Smaller, era-specific rail stops like Goeselville, Hadley, and Marley dot the prairie, serving as focal points for rural communities before the expansion of the modern Chicago suburbs. The extensive network of railroads, including the Chicago Terminal Transfer R. R. and the Chicago and St. Louis Line, illustrates the region's rapid transition from a waterway-dependent economy to a rail-dominated transportation hub.