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1915 Map of Ottawa

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

USGS Topo · Published 1915

About this map

Ottawa sits at the confluence of the Illinois River and Fox River, serving as a busy industrial and transportation hub in this 1912 survey. The landscape is defined by the parallel courses of the Illinois and Michigan Canal and major rail lines like the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific Ry, reflecting an era when water and rail still competed for freight. To the west, the scenic bluffs of Starved Rock State Park are already established, featuring numerous named landmarks like Buffalo Rock and several deep cuts including Illinois Canyon and Kaskaskia Canyon.

Beyond the river valleys, the map details a dense network of rural schoolhouses, such as Hickory College and Fullerton School, which anchored the agricultural townships of Ophir and Waltham. Small settlements like Wedron and Dayton appear along the banks of the Fox River, while specialized sites like the County Farm and Chautauqua Grounds highlight the social and civic geography of LaSalle County at the start of the twentieth century.