1954 Map of French Village

About this map

The urban periphery of East St Louis and Belleville meets the rising bluffs of the American Bottoms in this mid-century portrait of St. Clair County. The transition from industrial lowlands to residential heights is marked by a complex web of transportation, where the Alton and Southern and Southern Railroad navigate the terrain alongside Harding Ditch. In the wetlands of Grand Marais State Park, leisure features like an Amphitheater contrast with the heavy industrial footprints of a Clay Pit and Shale Mine near French Village. The map captures a moment of institutional shifts, documenting several closed rural landmarks including Twiss Hill Sch and Clover Leaf Sch, alongside established religious and educational centers like St Henry College and the Assumption Sch.