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1948 Map of Mason City

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Mason City
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1984
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1984

About this map

Mason City serves as the primary hub of this Central Illinois landscape, where the Pennsylvania and Chicago And North Western railroads intersect at a critical junction for the region's agricultural economy. The survey reveals a dense network of rural infrastructure, from the small hamlet of New Holland to the Johnson Valley Mine near the banks of Salt Creek. The area is characterized by a remarkable concentration of country schools, such as Hedge Row Sch, Bee Grove Sch, and Sleepy Hollow Sch, many of which were the focal points of local townships like Allen Grove and Sheridan.

Genealogists will find significant value in the distribution of family-named landmarks and resting places, including Swing Grove Cem and Richmond Grove Cem. Settlement patterns follow the winding paths of Sugar Creek and Pike Creek, with small communities like Sweet Water and Croft anchored by their proximity to the Gulf Mobile And Ohio rail line. This record documents the transition from a traditional agrarian school-district system to a more centralized 20th-century arrangement.