1939 Map of Pontiac

About this map

The Pontiac city center and its surrounding prairie townships are defined by a complex intersection of rail and water in the late 1930s. The Vermillion River meanders sharply through the landscape, flanked by the State Reformatory and the Country Club. This era shows a dense network of one-room schoolhouses like Enterprise Sch, Champion Sch, and Georgetown Sch that served the rural townships of Esmen, Owego, and Eppards Point. The transit layout is particularly striking, with the Alton, Wabash, and Illinois Central railroads all converging toward the county seat. For local historians, the map preserves the exact locations of smaller landmarks such as the County Farm and a variety of family-named burial grounds, including the curiously named Fatty Cem and Payne Cem.