Loading map...

1954 Map of Monks Mound

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of Monks Mound
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

Ancient earthworks and industrial growth meet on this mid-century survey of the Mississippi River bottomlands. At its heart lies the preserved landscape of Cahokia Mounds State Park, dominated by the massive Monks Mound and the nearby Rattlesnake Mound. This prehistoric site is surrounded by the expanding post-war infrastructure of Granite City and East St Louis, including an intricate web of rail lines such as the Illinois Terminal and the Gulf Mobile and Ohio.

The geography is defined by the remnant oxbow of Horseshoe Lake, where Walkers Island sits enclosed by a system of levees. Local life in the 1950s is recorded through vanished landmarks like the Drive-in Theater near State Park Community and the Lakeside Airfield. From the industrial settling basins of the northwest to the rural corners near Pleasant Grove Sch, the map captures a period when rail yards and canals were the primary engines of the Madison County economy.