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1959 Map of English Lake

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of English Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1961
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1961

About this map

The confluence of the Kankakee River and Yellow River anchors this landscape at the intersection of La Porte and Starke Counties. During the late 1950s, the terrain shows a heavily engineered hydrologic network, defined by an intricate system of drainage channels including the English Lake Ditch, Marsh Ditch, and Bessler Ditch. This infrastructure enabled the agricultural use of the low-lying prairie land surrounding the settlement of English Lake.

Evidence of the region's transportation and conservation history is prominent, from the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad and Erie Railroad corridors to the protected wetlands of the Kankakee State Game Preserve. For genealogists and local historians, the map preserves specific cultural markers such as St Martins Cem and the small siding at Lomax, while the presence of a Gravel Pit and numerous named arms like Jordan Arm reflect the rural industrial and water-management priorities of the era.