1969 Map of South Bend West

About this map

The St Joseph River anchors the eastern edge of this landscape, winding past the campus of St Marys College and Holy Cross College before turning through the heart of South Bend. This era shows a city in a period of complex infrastructure, where dense residential blocks and parochial institutions like St Stanislaus Sch and St Adalbert Sch meet the massive industrial footprints of the Chicago South Shore and South Bend and Conrail lines. To the west, the urban grid gives way to the Michiana Regional Airport and the outlying settlements of Ardmore and Lydick. The map is particularly notable for its detailed recording of civic and religious geography, from the historic Highland Cemetery and City Cem to the concentration of Catholic schools and churches that defined the neighborhood identities of the mid-20th century.