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1916 Map of Marseilles

Name: 1916 Topographic Map of Marseilles
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1916
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1916

About this map

The Illinois River corridor in the early twentieth century was a landscape of intensive transit and rural education, anchored by the industrial and river hubs of Marseilles and Seneca. The intricate network of the Illinois and Michigan Canal runs parallel to the river, a remnant of earlier transport eras that by 1916 shared the valley with the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific RR and the Chicago Ottawa and Peoria Electric Ry.

Away from the river valley, the prairie is densely dotted with neighborhood schoolhouses like the Aranson School, Peddicord School, and Naden School, reflecting a settled township structure in Mission and Miller. Notable institutions such as the Fox River Academy near Serena and the cluster of small settlements like Norway and Stavanger illustrate the deep-rooted agricultural communities and ethnic enclaves of La Salle and Grundy Counties. Waterways like Nettle Creek and McNellis Bayou further define the local geography.