1911 Map of Lincoln

About this map

Lincoln serves as the central hub of this Central Illinois landscape, where a dense network of steam and electric railways converge. The city is a crossroads for the Illinois Central, Chicago and Alton, and the Illinois Traction System, reflecting a peak era of rail transport before the dominance of the automobile. Beyond the urban center, the countryside is organized into a rigid grid of townships like Eminence and Mount Pulaski, each dotted with namesake country schools such as Lone Tree School and Honeyhook School. The drainage of Salt Creek and its tributaries like Kickapoo Creek dictates the placement of early settlements and river crossings. Unique local landmarks including the County Farm, the State Reservation, and the Airfield near the city center highlight the transition between agrarian life and early 20th-century institutional and technological growth.