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1923 Map of Herscher

Name: 1923 Topographic Map of Herscher
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1964
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1964

About this map

The Kankakee River winds across the northern reaches of this landscape, anchoring a region defined by intense agricultural development and the intersection of major rail corridors. Surveyed in the early 1920s, the map reveals a dense network of country schools like Robinson School and Pilot Center School that served the farmsteads between expanding towns. The landscape is marked by the industrial presence of the Lehigh Stone Co Quarry near Lehigh, signaling the importance of mineral extraction alongside the region's grain economy.

Nodal settlements such as Herscher, Reddick, and Essex thrive at the junctions of the Illinois Central, Wabash, and New York Central railroads. These lines were the lifeblood of the prairie, supported by specialized infrastructure like the Granary near Cleveland and remote transit points such as Appel Siding. The map captures the highly organized rural social structure of the era, where almost every section supported its own local institution, from Dublin School to the Grey Craft School.