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1918 Map of Kirkland

Name: 1918 Topographic Map of Kirkland
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1941
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1941

About this map

The Kishwaukee River snakes through the center of this rural landscape, anchoring a network of small agricultural settlements and one-room schoolhouses at the start of the 1940s. The village of Kirkland serves as a local hub, situated where the Chicago Milwaukee and St Paul railroad crosses the landscape. This area, spanning the borders of DeKalb, Boone, Winnebago, and Ogle Counties, preserves the precise locations of dozens of district schools such as Canada School, Vanderook School, and Witbeck School.

Cultural and family landmarks are densely plotted, including the Bloods Point Cemetery and the Shattucks Grove Cemetery. The presence of several north-south and east-west rail lines, including the Chicago Great Western passing through Fairdale and Esmond, illustrates a highly connected prairie economy. From the Town Hall in Mayfield to the various township boundaries like South Grove and Franklin, the map documents the civic and social structure of Northern Illinois before mid-century modernization changed the rural school system.