2024 Map of Oskaloosa

About this map

The agrarian landscape of southern Illinois is defined here by the headwaters of Skillet Fork and the winding course of Crooked Creek. This contemporary survey of the rural borderlands where Clay Co, Fayette Co, and Marion Co meet reveals a persistent pattern of small-scale settlement and family-named landmarks. Small communities like Oskaloosa, Iola, and Cruse anchor the grid of township roads. For local historians and genealogists, the map provides precise locations for numerous burial grounds, including the Keen Chapel Cem and Higginbotham Cem, often found at the edge of woodlots or near creek bends like Sutton Creek. The topography is subtly punctuated by the ravines of Dismal Creek and the small basin of Ging Lake, illustrating how the drainage patterns of the Little Wabash River watershed have shaped the placement of farms and cemeteries across these three counties.