Loading map...

1925 Map of Marion

Name: 1925 Topographic Map of Marion
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1942
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1942

About this map

Marion serves as the primary urban hub in this Southern Illinois landscape, which was surveyed in the 1920s and revised just before the war. The map reveals a dense network of rural infrastructure, particularly the staggering number of country schools like Thorn Thicket School, Cherry Valley School, and Irish Ridge School. These small institutions, along with numerous houses of worship such as Mission Ridge School and the Mormon Church, reflect a highly decentralized agrarian society where community life was centered on the township level.

Transportation is dominated by a complex web of railroads, including the Illinois Central RR and the Missouri Pacific RR, which connect settlements like Creal Springs and New Burnside. South of the city, the terrain transitions into the namesake Tunnel Hill area, while the Saline River and its many forks, including South Fork Saline River, provide the primary drainage. Local industry and early settlement traces appear in labels like Pillows Mill and the Marion Reservoir.