2015 Map of Wildcat Lake

About this map

Carlyle Lake and the Kaskaskia River valley define this central Illinois landscape, where the reservoir's northern reaches meet a complex system of drainage ditches and bottomland ponds. The map illustrates a transition from the structured rural grid of Pittsburg to the hydrologically complex wetlands of Otter Pond, Half Mile Pond, and Grass Pond. This area is significantly shaped by water management, evidenced by the Wildcat Ditch and the Wildcat Lake feature itself. For genealogists and local historians, the sheet is particularly valuable for its density of rural burial sites, documenting family and community history through Seminary Cem, Bear Creek Cem, and Williams Cem. The southern edge of the survey crosses from Fayette County into Marion County, where the N Fork E Fork Kaskaskia River enters the lake near Magassi Cem.