1973 Map of Essex

About this map

Strip Mine operations dominate the western landscape of this 1973 survey, particularly within the Reed township area where extensive excavations and tailings are documented. The industrial character of the region is further defined by the Gulf Illinois Central and Norfolk and Western railroads, which served the coal and sand industries. In the village of Essex, the central hub of this quadrangle, the grid-work of streets is flanked by the North Essex Cem and South Essex Cem. Along the eastern edge, the Kankakee River provides a natural contrast to the heavy industrial modifications of the interior. Smaller settlements like Torino, Godley, and Clarke City are also recorded, showing their relationship to the rail lines and extraction sites. This map captures the region at a point of transition between its coal mining peak and its later twentieth-century agricultural and suburban identity.