1898 Map of Dunlap

About this map

The Illinois River corridor dominates the eastern edge of this late nineteenth-century landscape, framed by the wide bottomlands of Spring Bay and the bluffs near Mossville. Inland, the terrain transitions into the high agricultural prairies of Radnor and Akron townships, where a dense network of early railroads fueled the growth of central Illinois. The Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad arcs through the northern half of the region, passing through Edelstein, while the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific Railroad connects settlements like Dunlap and Alta to the river valley. Many smaller nineteenth-century points of interest are visible, including the now-quiet locales of Wady Petra, Lawn Ridge, and Orange Prairie. This survey captures the region just before the turn of the century, illustrating how rail infrastructure and river geography dictated the placement of grain elevators, depots, and rural communities.