1928 Map of Highland Park

About this map

Lake Michigan defines the eastern edge of this coastal landscape, where the affluent residential developments of the North Shore were maturing in the late 1920s. The map illustrates a distinctive pattern of leisure and education, featuring prestigious institutions like Lake Forest College and Lake Forest Academy alongside a high concentration of recreational estates. The terrain is deeply influenced by the north-south corridors of the Chicago and Northwestern and the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee (Electric) railroads, which facilitated the growth of communities like Highland Park and Lake Forest. Away from the shoreline, the presence of the Brickyard and various golf clubs such as the Onwentsia Club and Exmoor Country Club show the transition from industrial extraction to suburban recreation. Small settlements like Blodgett and Highmoor are visible, alongside the winding paths of the Skokie River and the forks of the Chicago River.