1963 Map of Illiana Heights

About this map

The Kankakee River serves as the focal point for this landscape, winding through a series of islands and camps along the Illinois-Indiana border. During the early 1960s, the river corridor supported recreational and residential pockets such as Log Cabin Camp, Shadow Lawn, and the evocative Garden of Eden. North of the river, the landscape transitions into a grid of agricultural drainage and rail infrastructure, defined by the Singleton Ditch and the intersection of the Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific and New York Central railroads. Small rail-side and rural settlements like Puder, Delmar, and Sherburnville dot the interior, while the eastern edge of the map preserves a portion of the Kankakee River State Park and the local West Creek Cem. This survey illustrates the mid-century transformation of the river's floodplains into organized seasonal and permanent communities.