1959 Map of Shelby

About this map

The Kankakee River winds through this landscape, serving as a natural boundary between Lake, Newton, and Jasper counties. This 1959 planetable survey, updated with 1977 aerial revisions, reveals a territory defined by an intricate network of drainage systems, including the Otis-Boyle Ditch, Tully Ditch, and Singleton Ditch. These man-made channels reflect the historical efforts to reclaim the marshy wetlands of the Grand Kankakee Marsh for agricultural use. Settlements such as Shelby, Thayer, and Roselawn are linked by the Louisville and Nashville and Conrail railroads, which parallel the north-south corridors of travel. Notable local landmarks such as Lincoln Park and a small landing strip near Knight provide specific points of interest for genealogists and local historians tracing the development of these rural Indiana communities.