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1941 Map of West Frankfort

Name: 1941 Topographic Map of West Frankfort
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

West Frankfort and Johnston City serve as industrial anchors in this southern Illinois landscape during the early 1940s, a period defined by the convergence of heavy rail and active Coal extraction. The map reveals a dense network of transit, where the Illinois Central RR, Chicago and Eastern Illinois RR, and several smaller lines like the Marion and Southwestern RR create a complex grid for moving resources.

Beyond the industrial corridors, rural life is preserved through an extensive collection of local landmarks. Named schools such as Brush Prairie School and Coon Ridge School, alongside community gathering points like Williams Prairie Church and Jackson Church, indicate the social structure of the era's townships. The Middle Fork Big Muddy River and Pond Creek wind through the terrain, illustrating the natural drainage patterns that shaped the placement of smaller settlements like Thompsonville and Pittsburg.