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1943 Map of Lena

Name: 1943 Topographic Map of Lena
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1943
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1943

About this map

The Blackhawk Battlefield and Monument stands as a central historical landmark on this landscape at the junction of Jo Daviess and Stephenson counties. During the early 1940s, the region was defined by a dense network of small rural school districts and family-named cemeteries, reflecting a well-settled agricultural society. Towns like Lena and Warren serve as primary hubs, while smaller settlements such as Waddams Grove, Kent, and Nora mark the paths of the Illinois Central and Chicago Great Western railroads.

Waterways like the Pecatonica River and Yellow Creek wind through the terrain, which is dotted with dozens of named local institutions, including the Amity Ch, St Marys Cem, and numerous one-room schoolhouses like Tigerwhip Sch and Toogood Sch. The map preserves the specific locations of these vanished community centers before the consolidation of the mid-20th century transformed the rural landscape.