1923 Map of Joliet

About this map

Joliet serves as the industrial and transit anchor of this 1923 survey, where the heavy convergence of rail lines like the Michigan Central RR and Elgin Joliet and Eastern RR meets a complex waterway system. The landscape is defined by the parallel courses of the Des Plaines River, the Illinois and Michigan Canal, and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, illustrating the evolution of midwestern freight transport. Beyond the urban center, the map reveals a dense network of rural infrastructure, including the State Penitentiary Farm and dozens of family-named school districts such as Boyce School and Lantz School. Smaller settlements like Romeo and Plainfield are shown before modern suburban expansion, linked by early corridors like the Lincoln Highway and electric lines including the Elgin Aurora and Southern Electric.