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1949 Map of Stewardson

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Stewardson
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1949
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1949

About this map

The Kaskaskia River winds through the northwestern corner of this landscape, a region defined by its productive prairie soils and dense network of rural institutions in the late 1940s. The area is anchored by the rail towns of Windsor, Strasburg, and Stewardson, all situated along the New York Central and St Louis RR. This rail corridor and the parallel New York Central RR further north supported a grain-based economy that is evidenced by the numerous named schools and churches serving small farming communities.

Genealogists and local historians can find a wealth of specific landmarks, from the Rincker Cem and St Paul Cem to rural schoolhouses like Dugout Sch and Hiatt Sch. The map also captures early industrial activity with scattered Oil Well symbols and a Gravel Pit. The sheer density of churches, such as Sand Creek Ch and Wesley Chapel, illustrates the social fabric of Shelby and Moultrie counties before the mid-century consolidation of rural districts.