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Map showing the coal lands and route of the Chicago & Illinois River Railroad from Chicago to Streator, Ill.
Map showing the coal lands and route of the Chicago and Illinois River Railroad from Chicago to Streator, Illinois

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https://digital.library.illinois.edu/items/b14824f0-b51d-013a-c3e8-02d0d7bfd6e4-4
No Copyright - United States (RightsStatements.org)

No Copyright - United States

Descriptive Information

Title
Map showing the coal lands and route of the Chicago & Illinois River Railroad from Chicago to Streator, Ill.
Alternative Title
Map showing the coal lands and route of the Chicago and Illinois River Railroad from Chicago to Streator, Illinois
Scale
Scale approximately 1:253,440  
Place of Publication
Illinois
Date of Publication
1869  
Extent
1 map : color
Dimensions
51 x 66 cm
Notes
Illustrates railroads and coalfields in the northeastern part of Illinois. Coverage extends from Chicago and Lake Michigan westward to the towns of Henry and Lacon, and south as far as Ancona, Reading, and St. Anne. Multiple rail lines are illustrated in detail and coalfields in the vicinity of Grundy and Streator are highlighted with shading. The map's secondary purpose--to illustrate the Chicago and Illinois River Railroad--leads to a mystery, as that railroad is not specifically identified on the map! Instead, the projected route of the railroad is illustrated in blue pencil, leaving Chicago, with branches leading to Joliet and Streator and a main line heading westward through Homes Station. Coal was discovered in northeastern Illinois, just southwest of Chicago, in the early 19th century. The area was only tenuously mined until the 1860s and 1870s, when the growth of the American railroad system created a high demand for quality coal and spurred more intense efforts. Most of the mines played out in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but a few remain active to this day. This map highlights roughly 76 numbered mines in the Grundy/Coal City region, particularly around Braidwood and Wilmington. The numeric system suggests that this map was once accompanied by a booklet or pamphlet, which has long since been lost. The Illinois General Assembly chartered the Chicago and Illinois River Railroad on February 28, 1867 to build a railroad from Chicago through Lisbon and Ottawa (the latter on the Illinois River) to the Mississippi River opposite Keokuk, Iowa, with a branch extending to the coalfields near Streator. On March 24, 1869, the General Assembly removed the requirement to serve Lisbon and Ottawa. Construction began in 1873 but in 1875 the funds that had been allocated to the project were exhausted, and the unfinished line was leased to the Chicago and Alton Railroad. The map is undated, but we believe it was issued between 1869 and 1872. The printer, Chicago-based Garden City Lithographic Press, went out of business in 1872, and the railroad itself ceased to operate in 1875. Given that the proposed route is on this map only in manuscript, we surmise that this map was part of an investor prospectus published in only limited or even proof states.--Edited description of Geographicus Rare Antique Maps.
Coverage-Spatial
Illinois  
Language
English
Subject
  • Chicago & Illinois River Railroad Company  
  • Coalfields  
Genre
Maps  
Rights
No Copyright - United States
Type
Cartographic material  
Repository
Map Library
Local Bib ID
99955096292605899
Collection Title
Railroad Maps
Collection
Railroad Maps
TitleMap showing the coal lands and route of the Chicago & Illinois River Railroad from Chicago to Streator, Ill.
Alternative TitleMap showing the coal lands and route of the Chicago and Illinois River Railroad from Chicago to Streator, Illinois
ScaleScale approximately 1:253,440  
Place of PublicationIllinois
Date of Publication1869  
Extent1 map : color
Dimensions51 x 66 cm
NotesIllustrates railroads and coalfields in the northeastern part of Illinois. Coverage extends from Chicago and Lake Michigan westward to the towns of Henry and Lacon, and south as far as Ancona, Reading, and St. Anne. Multiple rail lines are illustrated in detail and coalfields in the vicinity of Grundy and Streator are highlighted with shading. The map's secondary purpose--to illustrate the Chicago and Illinois River Railroad--leads to a mystery, as that railroad is not specifically identified on the map! Instead, the projected route of the railroad is illustrated in blue pencil, leaving Chicago, with branches leading to Joliet and Streator and a main line heading westward through Homes Station. Coal was discovered in northeastern Illinois, just southwest of Chicago, in the early 19th century. The area was only tenuously mined until the 1860s and 1870s, when the growth of the American railroad system created a high demand for quality coal and spurred more intense efforts. Most of the mines played out in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but a few remain active to this day. This map highlights roughly 76 numbered mines in the Grundy/Coal City region, particularly around Braidwood and Wilmington. The numeric system suggests that this map was once accompanied by a booklet or pamphlet, which has long since been lost. The Illinois General Assembly chartered the Chicago and Illinois River Railroad on February 28, 1867 to build a railroad from Chicago through Lisbon and Ottawa (the latter on the Illinois River) to the Mississippi River opposite Keokuk, Iowa, with a branch extending to the coalfields near Streator. On March 24, 1869, the General Assembly removed the requirement to serve Lisbon and Ottawa. Construction began in 1873 but in 1875 the funds that had been allocated to the project were exhausted, and the unfinished line was leased to the Chicago and Alton Railroad. The map is undated, but we believe it was issued between 1869 and 1872. The printer, Chicago-based Garden City Lithographic Press, went out of business in 1872, and the railroad itself ceased to operate in 1875. Given that the proposed route is on this map only in manuscript, we surmise that this map was part of an investor prospectus published in only limited or even proof states.--Edited description of Geographicus Rare Antique Maps.
Coverage-SpatialIllinois  
LanguageEnglish
Subject
  • Chicago & Illinois River Railroad Company  
  • Coalfields  
GenreMaps  
RightsNo Copyright - United States
TypeCartographic material  
RepositoryMap Library
Local Bib ID99955096292605899
Collection TitleRailroad Maps
CollectionRailroad Maps

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Map showing the coal lands and route of the Chicago & Illinois River Railroad from Chicago to Streator, Ill.
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