1962 Map of Joliet

About this map

The industrial and institutional heart of Will County is revealed here during a period of significant mid-century expansion. The complex geography of Joliet is defined by the parallel paths of the Des Plaines River, the Illinois and Michigan Canal, and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, which together create a corridor of heavy industry and transit. Large-scale facilities such as the State Prison and an Oil Refinery dominate the northern landscape, while the city core is dense with parish life, including St Paul Sch and St Raymonds Sch. On the eastern edge, the transition from urban sprawl to preserved natural spaces is marked by the expansive Pilcher Park and Higinbotham Woods. This 1962 survey, updated with 1973 photogrammetric data, captures the growing residential suburbs of Crest Hill and Ingalls Park as they pushed into formerly open land.