1994 Map of Wood River

About this map

Industrial and educational landscapes define this corner of Madison County in the 1990s, where the infrastructure of Wood River and Roxana meets the floodplain of the American Bottoms. A massive Oil Refinery and the sprawling campus of Southern Illinois University (Edwardsville) anchor the regional economy, while the Mississippi River remains the dominant geographic force. The map documents the intricate water management of the lowlands, including the Cahokia Diversion Channel and the Chain of Rocks Canal. For local historians, the sheet preserves the locations of smaller communities like Poag, Mitchell, and Wanda, alongside older burial grounds such as Springley Cem and Pioneer Cem. The landscape is further fragmented by rail lines like the Illinois Terminal RR and the Conrail network, illustrating the area's role as a major transportation corridor near the Missouri border.