1940 Map of Morrison

About this map

The town of Morrison serves as a significant hub on this mid-century survey, situated at the junction of the Chicago and Northwestern railroad and a network of arterial roads. The landscape transition from the rolling drainage basins of Rock Creek and Otter Creek in the north to the fertile plains near the Rock River in the south is densely populated with small-scale agrarian infrastructure. A notable density of country schools, such as Hartman Sch, Hazel Green Sch, and Hickory Grove Sch, suggests a series of established rural neighborhoods that formed the backbone of Whiteside County before school consolidation changed the local landscape. In the northeastern corner, Milledgeville anchors a secondary cluster of development along the Chicago Burlington and Quincy line. Throughout the townships of Clyde, Genesee, and Mt Pleasant, numerous small burial grounds like Calvord Cem and Heaton Cem offer specific locations for genealogical research into early Illinois pioneer families.