1953 Map of Geneseo

About this map

The town of Geneseo sits at the intersection of mid-century rail and water infrastructure, dominated by the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific railroad line. To the north, the landscape is defined by the Green River and the engineering of the Illinois and Mississippi Canal (abandoned), where Lock No 25 remains a clear landmark of the region's earlier waterway transport era. This survey, conducted just after the war, captures a rural landscape still dotted with local educational landmarks such as Andrews School, Hart School, and Wildermuth School. The transition from the flatlands around the Big Slough Drainage Ditch to the more dissected terrain along Geneseo Creek illustrates the complex drainage and agricultural management of central Henry County. Significant local sites like the Illinois Fish Hatchery and Oakwood Cemetery provide grounding for family historians researching this period of Illinois history.