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1964 Map of West Kankakee

Name: 1964 Topographic Map of West Kankakee
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1974
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1974

About this map

West Kankakee serves as the focal point for this mid-century survey, illustrating the westward growth of the larger Kankakee urban area into the surrounding agricultural landscape. The region is defined by a dense network of transportation and infrastructure, including the heavy rail corridors of the Penn Central and Illinois Central Gulf railroads. Small rural nodes like Irwin and Otto stand in contrast to the developing residential blocks and facilities such as West Jr High Sch and the Kankakee Airport.

The drainage of the fertile prairie is clearly visible through the engineered courses of the Gar Creek Ditch and the meandering Minnie Creek. Local industry and resource extraction are represented by the large Quarry and scattered sandpits in Limestone township. For genealogists, the map preserves the location of the St James Cem and established community boundaries at the Kankakee and Iroquois County line near Chebanse.