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1912 Map of Milan

Name: 1912 Topographic Map of Milan
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1912
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1912

About this map

Rock Island and Moline anchor the northern industrial corridor of this 1912 survey, where the Mississippi River meets the confluence of the Rock River. The urban development of South Rock Island and South Moline is contrasted by the complex hydrology of the river channels, featuring landmarks like the U S Arsenal and the Blackhawk Watchtower. Southward, the landscape transitions into the agricultural and coal-producing uplands of Rock Island and Mercer Counties.

A network of steel and steam connects these communities, with the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific RR and the Rock Island Southern RR threading through the townships. The rural interior is densely punctuated by one-room schoolhouses and country parishes, such as Ginger Hill School and St Josephs Church, which served as the social centers for small settlements like Preemption and Reynolds. The presence of the Coal Valley Mine near Sherrard highlights the era's extraction economy underlying the prairie soil.