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1998 Map of Rend Lake Dam

Name: 1998 Topographic Map of Rend Lake Dam
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2000
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2000

About this map

Rend Lake dominates this southern Illinois landscape, its expansive waters held by the Rend Lake Dam which transformed the Big Muddy River valley. The map documents a complex balance between massive public works and the older rural foundations of Franklin County. While large areas are dedicated to the Rend Lake State Wildlife Refuge and Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park, the land still bears the marks of its industrial and agrarian roots.

Evidence of the region's coal heritage is found at the Old Ben No 24 Mine near Browning Hill, while local genealogy is preserved in numerous scattered sites like Winemiller Cem and Cypher Cem. Transport networks such as the Frisco railroad and Benton Municipal Airport connect the settlements of Whittington, Rend City, and Benton, illustrating the area's development through the late twentieth century.