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1957 Map of Paxton

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of Paxton
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1976
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1976

About this map

Chanute Air Force Base dominates the southern portion of this landscape, its structured runways and facility layout contrasting with the surrounding agricultural townships. The area is a network of mid-century rural life, where the Illinois Central and the New York Chicago and St Louis railroads connect established hubs like Paxton and Rantoul to smaller sidings and stations.

Genealogists can find numerous family and community landmarks, including McHarry Cem and Pontoppidan Cem, alongside several rural schools that had already transitioned by the 1950s, such as the Moffett Sch (Abandoned) and Gray Sch (Abandoned). The drainage patterns of the region are exceptionally well-defined, featuring engineered watercourses like Four Mile Ditch and the Upper Salt Fork Drainage Ditch, which supported the intensive farming across Patton and Button townships.