2021 Map of Elsah

About this map

Principia College overlooks the Mississippi River bluffs above the village of Elsah, anchoring a landscape where the river defines the border between Illinois and Missouri. The confluence geography is clear as the Missouri River enters from the southwest, creating a complex network of islands and sloughs, including Pelican Island and Portage Island. The Illinois side features several small communities such as Beltrees, Lockhaven, and Riehl, linked by winding bluff roads like Elsah Rd and Cemetery Rd. Genealogists will find numerous burial sites recorded, from the Elsah Cem to the Saint Michaels Cem near the river bluffs. Across the water in Missouri, the town of Portage Des Sioux sits on the low-lying peninsula between the two great rivers, surrounded by agricultural settlements like Whitecorn and Machens that rely on the fertile but flood-prone bottomlands.