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1940 Map of Lewis

Name: 1940 Topographic Map of Lewis
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1940
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1940

About this map

The coal-rich landscape of Vigo and Sullivan counties emerges in this late 1930s survey, defined by the industrial activity around Blackhawk and the surrounding strip mines. The southern portion of the sheet features the rural crossroads of Farmersburg and Lewis, where the Chicago and Eastern Illinois and Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific railroads intersect the agricultural terrain. A unique social landmark, the Blue Ribbon Racetrack, sits just west of the Blackhawk Mine, illustrating the local recreation patterns of the era.

Genealogists will find a wealth of family-named landmarks and cemeteries, such as Smith Cem, Donham Cem, and Taylor Cem. The presence of an abandoned canal near the Louisville and Nashville tracks hints at older transportation routes being superseded by rail. Small rural congregations are well-represented by Fletcher Chapel and Mt Olive Ch, serving the scattered communities of Keller and the residents near Lee Lake.