{"product_id":"old-map-of-chicago-illinois-by-usgs-1901-lake-michigan-chicago-river","title":"Old Map of Chicago, Illinois by USGS, 1901 – Lake Michigan \u0026 Chicago River","description":"\u003cp\u003eTitled simply “Chicago,” this 1901 U.S. Geological Survey topographical map presents the city and its Cook County surroundings at a pivotal moment in its transformation into one of America’s great modern metropolises. Published from survey data gathered in 1901, it captures Chicago just after the exuberant era of the World’s Columbian Exposition and amid the continued acceleration of industry, immigration, rail transport, and urban expansion. At a scale of 1:62,500, the map balances metropolitan detail with regional perspective, showing the city not merely as a street grid beside Lake Michigan, but as a complex landscape shaped by water, elevation, infrastructure, and human ambition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe U.S. Geological Survey brought to this map the scientific precision for which it became renowned. Founded in 1879, the USGS was charged with systematically examining the nation’s terrain, geology, water resources, and natural features, producing maps that became indispensable to engineers, planners, landowners, and government agencies. Here, its disciplined cartographic style is evident in the careful use of contour lines, gridded reference systems, waterways, rail corridors, and urban markings. Rather than offering a decorative city view, the map conveys Chicago as measurable ground: a dynamic physical environment where subtle elevation changes, shorelines, river branches, and engineered routes all mattered profoundly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLake Michigan dominates the eastern edge of the composition, its shoreline traced with the attention of a surveyor and the significance of a civic boundary. Along this lakefront, contour lines and mapped development reveal the intimate relationship between Chicago’s natural setting and its urban growth. The North Branch and South Branch of the Chicago River wind through the city’s fabric, recalling the waterways that shaped commerce, drainage, stockyards, industry, and settlement patterns. In 1901, Chicago’s relationship with water was especially consequential, following major engineering works such as the reversal of the Chicago River system, a feat that redefined the city’s sanitation and regional hydrology.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe map also records the infrastructure that made Chicago the transportation capital of the American interior. Railways thread through and around the city, connecting lake shipping, factories, neighborhoods, and outlying communities across Cook County. Streets and roadways articulate the expanding urban grid, while parks and open spaces interrupt the density with planned civic relief. Numerous neighborhoods, many still in the process of assuming their modern identities, appear within a metropolitan form that was spreading rapidly outward. The result is a portrait of Chicago as both city and system: an interlocking web of movement, labor, settlement, and geography.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a historical document, this map is especially compelling because it fixes Chicago at the threshold of the twentieth century, before later waves of expressways, skyscraper districts, shoreline alterations, and suburban growth dramatically reshaped the region. Its topographic character makes visible the land beneath the metropolis, reminding us that even a famously gridded and industrial city was governed by gradients, waterways, lake margins, and engineered adaptations to nature. For collectors, historians, and admirers of urban cartography, “Chicago” offers a rare union of scientific mapping and civic history: the measured anatomy of a city in full ascent.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChicago\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLake Michigan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNorth Branch Chicago River\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSouth Branch Chicago River\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNumerous neighborhoods\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStreets and roadways\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eParks and open spaces\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRailways\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWater bodies and reservoirs\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSurrounding areas of Cook County\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical 1:62,500 topographical map of Chicago, Illinois and the surrounding area\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProduced by the U.S. Geological Survey using survey data from 1901\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe USGS is a scientific agency of the U.S. government known for reliable information about the Earth, natural resources, and natural hazards\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUses a grid system and contour lines to show elevation and terrain features\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShows significant elevation changes and waterways in a densely populated urban area\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCaptures Chicago at the turn of the 20th century, during a period of rapid growth and urbanization\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFeatures contour lines along the shoreline of Lake Michigan, reflecting geographical and urban development as understood in 1901\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLooking for a particular place?\u003c\/strong\u003e Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eask our workshop to check before you order\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDetailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/pages\/map-personalisation\"\u003eSee personalised map examples\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEvery piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/collections\/all-old-vintage-antique-maps\"\u003erare old and vintage maps\u003c\/a\u003e to discover another place, period or style.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Map","offer_id":58764922192256,"sku":null,"price":76.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58764922225024,"sku":null,"price":203.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":58764922257792,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":58764922290560,"sku":null,"price":76.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58764922323328,"sku":null,"price":203.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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