Illinois

Historical maps, urban plans, and views of Illinois and Chicago.

Archival Category: State Cartography | Era: 19th Century | Geography: North America | Holdings: 4 items.

Cataloged Works in this Collection

Mississippi River - Sheet No. 2 (25 to 41 miles above Cairo)
Cartographer / Artist: A fascinating hydrographic chart documenting the complex sandbars, chutes, and channels around Powers Island during the later stages of the Civil War.
Date: 1865
Medium: Map
Dimensions: 📐 16.2 × 23.9 in / 41.1 × 60.7 cm
Location: Cairo, Illinois, United States
A fascinating hydrographic chart documenting the complex sandbars, chutes, and channels around Powers Island during the later stages of the Civil War.
Mississippi River - Sheet No. 5 (78 to 96 miles above Cairo)
Cartographer / Artist: A stark, beautifully rendered survey highlighting the precipitous geography along the river banks, including Devil's Backbone and Fountain Bluffs.
Date: 1865
Medium: Map
Dimensions: 📐 17.0 × 25.6 in / 43.2 × 65.0 cm
Location: Grand Tower, Illinois, United States
A stark, beautifully rendered survey highlighting the precipitous geography along the river banks, including Devil's Backbone and Fountain Bluffs.
North America Sheet V: The North West and Michigan Territories
Cartographer / Artist: Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK) / Baldwin & Cradock / J. & C. Walker
Date: 1833
Medium: Engraving with original outline hand color
Dimensions: 16.4 × 13.2 inches
Location: Upper Midwest, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois, United States
Published under the superintendence of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK) by Baldwin & Cradock in 1833, this finely detailed map captures the Upper Midwest during a critical transitional era prior to Michigan and Wisconsin statehood. The geographic focus encompasses Lake Michigan, the eastern Upper Peninsula, the southern portion of the Michigan Territory, the northern reaches of Illinois, and the expansive unorganized 'North West Territory' encompassing modern-day Wisconsin. Notable frontier features include Fort Dearborn (adjacent to Chicago), Fort Howard at Green Bay, Prairie du Chien, Galena, and numerous early Native American settlements and treaties, notably demarcating the Indian Boundary of 1829. The visual composition reflects the exceptionally high standards of precision engraving executed by J. & C. Walker, characterized by clean linear hydrography, hachured topography along river bluffs, and delicate hand-colored territorial boundaries. Significant historical details of economic interest include the extensive lead mining regions near Dubuque and Galena, Indian villages, trading posts, and early survey tracks across the developing interior of the Old Northwest.
North America Sheet V: The North West and Michigan Territories
Cartographer / Artist: Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK) / Baldwin & Cradock / J. & C. Walker
Date: 1833
Medium: Engraving with original hand-colored outlines
Dimensions: 15.2 × 14.8 inches
Location: Upper Midwest, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois, United States
This finely detailed early 19th-century map illustrates the Upper Midwest during a dynamic era of territorial organization and American westward expansion. Published under the superintendence of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK), the map encompasses Lake Michigan, the eastern portion of the 'North West Territory' (present-day Wisconsin and upper Michigan), the Lower Peninsula of Michigan Territory, and northern Illinois including the nascent settlement at Fort Dearborn (Chicago). Cartographically, the sheet provides intricate hydrography, early county lines in southern Michigan, Indian boundary lines (such as the 1829 treaty border), military outposts like Fort Howard and Fort Winnebago, lead mining regions around Galena and Mineral Point, and Native American village sites. The topography captures river networks, portages, and early surveyed township grids in southern Michigan and around Green Bay. Engraved by J. & C. Walker and printed by Russell Penge for Baldwin & Cradock in London, this map reflects SDUK's hallmark precision and commitment to disseminating up-to-date geographical information during a period when the territorial borders of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois were rapidly evolving.