1948 Map of Wheaton

About this map

The West Branch Du Page River and East Branch Du Page River define the north-south drainage of this DuPage County landscape, carving through a region transitioning into a dense suburban corridor in the late 1940s. Centered on the county seat of Wheaton, the map reveals a complex web of transportation, where heavy rail lines like the Chicago Burlington and Quincy and the Chicago and Northwestern intersect with the interurban Chicago Aurora and Elgin Electric line. While towns such as Naperville, Downers Grove, and Lombard show significant residential platting, the northwestern sections near Wayne and Bartlett retain a more open, rural character. Small landmarks like St Johns Church and the whistle-stops of Gretna and Cloverdale provide specific points of interest for those tracing the localized growth of the Chicago metropolitan periphery during the post-war era.