Loading map...

1966 Map of Makanda

Name: 1966 Topographic Map of Makanda
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1967
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1967

About this map

Giant City State Park dominates this Illinois landscape, where the sandstone bluffs and hills of the Shawnee National Forest meet the southern edge of the glaciated plains. The Illinois Central railroad cuts through the terrain, serving the village of Makanda and the town of Cobden, centers for the local fruit-growing industry of the mid-twentieth century. Higher elevations are marked by landmarks like Tiptop Knob and the Water Valley Lookout Tower, which provided surveillance over the dense woodlands.

Water plays a central role in the north, where Little Grassy Lake sits within the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge. For the family historian, the map is dense with rural heritage sites, including numerous family burial grounds such as Zimmerman Cem, Vancil Cem, and Sitter Cem. These small cemeteries and country churches like Oak Grove Ch and Shiloh Ch trace the deep-rooted settlement patterns along Drury Creek and the Cache River.