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1954 Map of New Athens East

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of New Athens East
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1982
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1982

About this map

Extensive Strip Mine operations dominate the landscape between New Athens and Lenzburg, showing the intensive land-use patterns of the late twentieth century. This survey, based on 1954 data with 1982 photorevisions, captures a transition in the coal-rich terrain of St. Clair County. The Illinois Central Gulf railroad cuts a diagonal path across the map, linking industrial centers like Marissa to the larger regional network.

Along the winding Kaskaskia River, the Kaskaskia River State Fish and Wildlife Area provides a natural contrast to the industrial spoil banks. For family historians, the sheet is exceptionally detailed with small community landmarks, including the St Agatha Cem in New Athens and the isolated Zion Ch near Dutch Hill. From the elevated Drum Hill to the banks of Doza Creek, the map records a rural landscape deeply influenced by resource extraction and rail transport.