1948 Map of Pomona

About this map

Pomona and the small settlement of Etherton anchor this late 1940s landscape where rural life met industrial transport at the edge of the Shawnee National Forest. The Gulf Mobile and Ohio railroad corridor and the Black Diamond Highway reflect the region's historical connection to coal and trade, passing by landmarks like Sharon Sch and the Jenkins Sch. This area of southern Illinois shows a high density of community centers now valuable for genealogical research, including Mount Carbon Cem and several country churches such as Pleasant Grove Ch. In the southern hills, the terrain becomes more distinct with features like the Natural Bridge, Saltpeter Cave, and the winding Cave Creek. These features, along with numerous family-named landmarks like Bostick Cem and Ellis Ridge Sch, reveal the deep roots of the local farming and mining families before modern consolidation changed the rural school and church network.