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1915 Map of Mount Olive

Name: 1915 Topographic Map of Mount Olive
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1946
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1946

About this map

The dense rail networks of central Illinois define this landscape, where the Litchfield hub serves as a critical junction for the Wabash and Illinois Central and the Chicago and North Western. This 1913 survey, updated for the mid-1940s, illustrates the peak of the region's agricultural and industrial infrastructure across the Macoupin and Montgomery County line. Small rural schoolhouses like West Point School and Hardenburg School are spaced across the township grids, reflecting the era's localized educational system.

Industry and recreation sit side-by-side, evidenced by the proximity of coal-linked settlements like Mount Olive and Panama to community spaces such as Chautauqua Park. The terrain is characterized by the drainage of Cahokia Creek and Shoal Creek, which shaped the placement of early settlements and road networks. To the south, Robbs Mound stands out as a rare topographical landmark in an otherwise orderly patchwork of farmsteads and rural townships including Butler Grove and Grisham.