1970 Map of Rising

About this map

The Kankakee Ridge defines the topography of this Illinois prairie landscape, where the headwaters of the Sangamon River and Kaskaskia River originate within miles of each other. At the dawn of the 1970s, the rural character of Hensley and Mahomet townships met the expanding northern limits of Champaign City. The map documents a transition from agricultural land, marked by numerous family and community burial grounds like Jersey Cem and Phillippe Cem, to modern infrastructure including the Sewage Disposal Ponds and a complex highway network. Along the Penn Central rail line, the small settlement of Rising persists amidst a terrain shaped by glacial legacy. Significant recreational and civic spaces are also captured, from the established Lake of the Woods Park to the developing neighborhoods near Garden Hills Park.