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1916 Map of Edgington

Name: 1916 Topographic Map of Edgington
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1942
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1942

About this map

The Mississippi River dominates this mid-20th century survey, carving a path between Rock Island County and Muscatine County through a complex network of backwaters like Andalusia Slough and Vealey Chute. Steep bluffs rise from the river valley, leading to high prairie settlements and an unusually high density of rural schoolhouses that served the farming communities of the early 1900s. Illinois City and Edgington stand as primary inland hubs, while the river banks host rail-dependent hamlets such as Fairport and Montpelier.

Tracing the path of the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific RR along the northern shore and the Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific RR on the south, the map reveals the era's transport-driven economy. Genealogists will find interest in the numerous named schools, from Jimtown School near the river to White Eagle School in the southern hills, which once defined the social fabric of townships like Drury and Eliza.