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1922 Map of Kankakee

Name: 1922 Topographic Map of Kankakee
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

The Kankakee River and Iroquois River dominate this early 20th-century landscape, carving through a region defined by intense agricultural development and burgeoning industrial centers. The city of Kankakee serves as the primary hub, surrounded by satellite communities like Bourbonnais, Bradley, and West Kankakee. The map reveals a dense network of country schools, such as Altdorf School, Seedorf School, and Mellen School, which once anchored the rural townships before consolidation.

Transportation patterns are clearly etched by the competing interests of rail and road. The Illinois Central Railroad and the Chicago and Interurban Electric Railroad provide high-speed transit, while historic overland routes like the Egyptian Trail and Central Trail suggest the path of earlier pioneers. Large institutional footprints, specifically the East Illinois Hospital, underscore the significance of the area as a regional service center during this era.