Loading map...

2015 Map of Elsah

Name: 2015 Topographic Map of Elsah
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2015
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2015

About this map

Portage Des Sioux and the Missouri town of Machens occupy the low-lying peninsula where the Mississippi River and Missouri River nearly meet. Across the water on the Illinois side, the village of Elsah is positioned among the bluffs, serving as home to the Principia College campus. This river junction landscape is defined by its dramatic elevation changes and a series of large islands, including Portage Island, Eagles Nest Island, and Pelican Island.

Upland settlements like Beltrees and Piasa Hills sit back from the river along routes such as Beltrees Rd, while the steep shoreline features landmarks like Quatoga Bluff and the community of Clifton Terrace. Several smaller burial grounds, such as Saint Michaels Cem and Wendle Cem, are scattered across the interior hills near Mill Cr. The proximity of the two great rivers here creates a unique geography of sloughs and lakes, including Brick House Slough and Poeling Lake, which dominate the Missouri floodplain south of West Alton.