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1962 Map of West Chicago

Name: 1962 Topographic Map of West Chicago
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1981
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1981

About this map

The rail and road network of the West Chicago region comes into sharp focus during this mid-century period of suburban expansion. The Chicago and North Western and Elgin Joliet and Eastern railroads intersect near the city center, which is surrounded by established settlements like Ingalton, Prince Crossing, and Winfield. Cultural and educational institutions, including Wheaton College Academy, Christ the King Seminary, and St Josephs Chapel, anchor the landscape alongside numerous cemeteries such as Glen Oak Cem and Calvary Cem.

Natural features like the West Branch Du Page River and Island Lake are interspersed with large recreational and conservation areas, including the Pratts Wayne Woods Forest Preserve and Mallard Lake Forest Preserve. The map also documents the growing infrastructure of the era, notably the Du Page County Airport and the expansion of residential tracts in Carol Stream and Hanover Park, reflected in the magenta revision layers that show the footprint of a changing DuPage County.