1964 Map of West Kankakee

About this map

West Kankakee stands as a residential extension west of the Kankakee River, where suburban expansion in the mid-1960s met a landscape of industrial extraction and agriculture. The northern section of the sheet is marked by heavy activity at several Sandpit sites and a large Quarry, while the central and southern reaches maintain a rural grid defined by Gar Creek and Minnie Creek. Settlement patterns are anchored by small villages like Irwin and Otto, along with the northern part of Chebanse on the county line. This era reflects a transition in transit, with the Old Railroad Grade and Penn Central lines navigating the terrain alongside the newer footprint of the Kankakee Airport. Local institutions, including West Jr High Sch and St James Cem, provide important landmarks for those tracing the development of Kankakee and its outlying rural townships.