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1959 Map of Equality

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Equality
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1960
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

The Saline River cuts through this landscape where industrial history meets the northern edge of the Shawnee National Forest. The settlement of Equality serves as a primary anchor near the river, surrounded by a topography defined by the Wildcat Hills and Gold Hill. This area is notable for its legacy of salt production, evidenced by the Negro Spring Salt Well and another Salt Well located near the forest boundary, marking one of Illinois' earliest mineral industries.

Rail transport is represented by the Baltimore and Ohio and Louisville and Nashville lines, which supported the local extraction economy alongside several strip mines and the Berkel Mine. Genealogical details are scattered across the quadrangle in the form of family-named landmarks like Maher Hill and Colbert Hollow, and quiet rural sites such as Pisgah Ch and Barnett Cem. Small communities like Lawler, Leamington, and Gibsonia provide a look at the rural settlement pattern in the late 1950s.