1991 Map of Ottawa

About this map

The Illinois River corridor defines the industrial and natural geography of this region, connecting established manufacturing centers like Ottawa and Morris with the wide expanses of the Goose Lake Prairie State Park. This 1991 revision reveals a landscape heavily influenced by large-scale extraction and resource management, visible in the numerous Strip Mine operations scattered between Braidwood and Morris. The convergence of the Des Plaines River and Kankakee River creates a complex hydrologic network protected by the Des Plaines Wildlife Conservation Area. Away from the river valleys, the grid of the Illinois prairie is punctuated by rail-oriented settlements like Dwight, Odell, and Streator. The presence of several major rail lines, including the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe RR and Chicago Rock Island & Pacific RR, underscores the area's enduring role as a central transportation hub between Chicago and the southern Illinois plains.