MAPS AND BIRD'S EYE VIEWS

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Step into the skies and stroll the streets of yesteryear—this section offers a rare glimpse into Illinois’ past through the artistry of maps and bird’s-eye views. These aren’t just cartographic records; they’re storytelling canvases, where every rooftop, rail line, and river bend reveals the ambitions and anxieties of a growing state.

From panoramic lithographs that romanticize bustling towns to fire insurance maps that expose the bones of urban infrastructure, each document is a portal. You’ll find Chicago reimagined in sweeping detail, its neighborhoods etched with pride and precision. You’ll trace the evolution of forgotten settlements, marvel at the ornate flourishes of 19th-century engravers, and witness how geography shaped identity.

Whether you're a historian, a visual storyteller, or simply someone who loves getting lost in the past, this collection invites you to fly above the ordinary and land in the extraordinary. Let your curiosity chart the course.

High-resolution .pdf files are ZOOMABLE (+/-)

1804 Indian Trails and Villages of Chicagoland; Cook, Dupage, Will Counties of Illinois.
1820 Chicago Lithography
1833 Chicago Map (from Chicago Tribune 1933 edition) 
1868 Bird's-Eye View of Chicago from Shiller St North to 12th St South
1871 Bird's-Eye Map of Burnt District, Chicago, Illinois
1871 Chicago Fire Burnt Area
1874 Bird's-Eye View Chicago, Illinois
1893 Bird's-Eye Grand View of Chicago, Illinois
1893 Bird's-Eye View Chicago, Illinois
1898 Bird's-Eye View Business District, Chicago, Illinois
1902 Terminals of the Chicago and North Western Railroad
1908 Bird's-Eye Elevated Railroads in Chicago, Illinois
1916 Bird's-Eye View of Chicago, Illinois Business District
1950 Chicago Demographics Map; published by the City of Chicago
1950s Morton Arboretum Map, Lisle, Illinois