1918 Map of Rockford

About this map

Rockford dominates the southern portion of this landscape at the confluence of the Rock River and Kent Creek, showing the city's early industrial grid and rail corridors before the major post-war expansions. To the north, the river winds past Loves Park and Latham Park toward the established riverside communities of Rockton and South Beloit. The region is defined by a heavy concentration of rural one-room schoolhouses, such as Bird School, Mud School, and Sand Prairie School, which served the farming townships of Owen, Burritt, and Harrison. In the southeast, Camp Grant appears in its pre-WWII footprint along the riverbanks. The transportation network is anchored by the Chicago Milwaukee St. Paul and Pacific and the Chicago and Northwestern railroads, which linked these northern Illinois agricultural centers to the growing urban hubs at the Wisconsin border.