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1953 Map of Milan

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Milan
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1976
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1976

About this map

The Rock River dominates this mid-century landscape, carving a complex network of islands and sloughs between Rock Island and Milan. This 1953 perspective shows the industrial and residential growth of the Quad Cities, with established neighborhoods in Moline and South Rock Island transitioning into the rural reaches of Bowling and Rural townships. On the northern banks, Black Hawk State Park preserves the riverfront near Vandruff Island, while to the south, the Quad City Airport sits atop the flatlands near Coal Valley.

Genealogists and local historians will find a dense concentration of civic life, from the Chippiannock Cemetery and Calvary Cem to numerous neighborhood institutions like the John Deere Jr High Sch and Pleasant Ridge School. The landscape also preserves the footprints of transport history, including the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific railroad and the Old Railroad Grade cutting through the bluffs near Indian Bluff Forest Preserve.