Loading map...

1916 Map of Edgington

Name: 1916 Topographic Map of Edgington
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1916
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1916

About this map

Mississippi River islands and braided sloughs dominate the northern corridor of this 1913 survey, where the Chicago Milwaukee and St Paul railroad tracks skirt the riverbank. This era of rural development is marked by a dense network of country schools, such as Whiteoak School, Patterson School, and Point Pleasant School, positioned to serve the farming families across Buffalo Prairie and Eliza. The landscape transitions from the river bottomlands at Vealey Chute and Andalusia Slough to the upland plains of Edgington.

Tracing the early township boundaries reveals a strictly organized agricultural society, punctuated by small community hubs like Illinois City and Wrayville. Waterways like Copperas Creek and Eliza Creek drain the interior, where the survey reveals the specific placement of forgotten landmarks including Island No 333 and Heck Hollow. The detail provides clear evidence of the early 20th-century road network connecting the river landings to the interior grain-growing regions.