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1955 Map of Wood River

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Wood River
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

Industrial expansion along the Mississippi River defines this mid-century landscape where the massive Oil Refinery at Hartford and Roxana sits adjacent to the Cahokia Diversion Channel. The map illustrates a complex convergence of rail and water infrastructure, featuring the Gulf Mobile and Ohio and Illinois Terminal lines threading through the Chouteau American Bottoms.

Evidence of the area's deeper history is visible at the Indian Mounds near Mitchell, while the rural transition toward Edwardsville is marked by community landmarks like St Paul Ch and the Sunset Speedway. The survey also captures a moment of local change, specifically noting the Franklin Sch (Abandoned) and numerous neighborhood institutions such as Lincoln Sch and Washington Sch serving the growing residential blocks of Wood River and East Alton.