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1926 Map of Normal

Name: 1926 Topographic Map of Normal
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1984
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1984

About this map

Normal and Lexington anchor this mid-1920s landscape in McLean County, where the industrial and educational expansion of the era is evident through a dense network of country schools and rail lines. The Chicago and Alton railroad cuts diagonally across the terrain, passing through the village of Towanda, while the Illinois Central serves the western corridor near Hudson. This survey captures the rural educational structure of the time, documenting dozens of named local schoolhouses such as the Little Red Sch and the Buck Creek Sch.

The central portion of the map is defined by the winding course of the Mackinaw River and its tributaries like Money Creek, which irrigate the agricultural heartland. Notable landmarks such as the Town Hall in Money Creek township and the high point at Blue Mound indicate the established civic and topographical boundaries that shaped life in central Illinois between the world wars. The transition from smaller settlements like Enright and Merna to the growing urban footprint of Normal shows the shift toward larger regional hubs.