1910 Map of Rock Island

About this map

The Wapsipinicon River winds through this late 19th-century landscape, carving a path across the state line and through a network of fledgling prairie towns. Surveyed by W. J. Peters and Nat Tyler, Jr. between 1889 and 1898, the map reveals a region defined by its competing rail corridors. Major lines like the Chicago Milwaukee and St. Paul R.R. and the Chicago and Northwestern R.R. dictate the placement of settlements such as Oxford Junction, Lost Nation, and Dewitt. At the southern edge, the industrial and military importance of the river becomes clear at the U.S. Arsenal, situated on an island in the Mississippi. Small farming communities and townships like Allen's Grove and Winfield are documented here in their early stages of development, prior to the large-scale consolidation of the 20th century.