Titled “Peoria East,” this U.S. Geological Survey topographical map presents the Peoria, Illinois, region as surveyed in 1949 and issued with a 1968 imprint, capturing a mid-century landscape at the edge of modern transformation. At the 1:24,000 scale, the map offers a meticulous view of Peoria and its eastern environs, where urban streets, rail lines, riverbanks, wooded slopes, and residential districts are rendered with the characteristic precision of USGS cartography. The Illinois River and Upper Peoria Lake form the dominant geographic axis, shaping settlement, transportation, and industry. More than a navigational document, the map is a finely ordered portrait of a river city whose economic and civic life was deeply tied to water, rail, and terrain.

The U.S. Geological Survey brought to this map the disciplined clarity that made its quadrangles indispensable to engineers, planners, geologists, hikers, and historians. Founded in 1879, the USGS developed a national mapping program that translated the American landscape into a consistent visual language of contours, symbols, roads, waterways, and built environments. In “Peoria East,” that language is especially rewarding: elevation contours reveal the bluffs and ravines rising from the Illinois River valley, while blue waterways, black cultural features, and carefully traced transportation corridors create an elegant cartographic hierarchy. The result is a map that is both utilitarian and beautiful, transforming the complex geography of central Illinois into a legible and quietly dramatic composition.

Peoria itself appears as the historic anchor of the sheet, with East Peoria across the river and West Peoria nearby, each connected by the infrastructure of a growing metropolitan area. Bradley University marks an important civic and educational presence, while neighborhoods, commercial zones, depots, and railroad lines speak to the city’s mid-century industrial vitality. The inclusion of Route 40, identified with North University Street, and Route 150 underscores the importance of highway travel in the postwar period, when American cities were increasingly shaped by automobiles and suburban growth. The railroads, still strongly inscribed across the map, preserve an older transportation geography, showing Peoria at the meeting point of river commerce, rail logistics, and expanding road networks.

The natural setting is one of the map’s great pleasures. Upper Peoria Lake widens the Illinois River into a broad watery expanse, while the surrounding contour lines dramatize the steep ground that frames the valley. Grandview Drive, long celebrated for its sweeping views over the river and bluffs, appears within a landscape whose relief is made vivid through the USGS contour system. Forest Park, Lakeview Park, and other recreational areas suggest the interplay between urban life and preserved green space, while nearby communities and places such as Dunlap, Mossville, Mapleton, and Chillicothe situate Peoria within a wider regional network. The map quietly reveals how geology, water, and transportation determined patterns of settlement.

As a historical record, “Peoria East” is especially evocative for what it preserves of mid-20th-century Illinois before later urban expansion, highway alteration, and land-use change reshaped the region. The 1949 survey data offers a snapshot of Peoria in the postwar era, when established neighborhoods, industrial corridors, parklands, and riverfront infrastructure coexisted with open land and developing suburbs. Its contours document the enduring physical character of the Illinois River valley, while its roads, rail lines, and civic landmarks record a particular moment in the city’s evolution. For collectors, historians, and admirers of American cartography, this map offers a richly detailed encounter with Peoria’s geography, industry, and landscape at a pivotal time.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Peoria
• Upper Peoria Lake
• Illinois River
• East Peoria
• West Peoria
• Dunlap
• Mapleton
• Chillicothe
• Lakeview Park
• Forest Park
• Bradley University
• Mossville
• Grandview Drive
• Route 40 / N. University St.
• Route 150
• Railroad lines and depots
• Various parks and recreational areas
• Residential neighborhoods
• Commercial zones

Historical context & cartographic details

• Historical USGS 1:24,000 topographical map titled Peoria East
• Surveyed or dated 1949, with a 1968 imprint
• Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey, noted for detailed American topographical and geological mapping
• Shows Peoria, Illinois, and the surrounding area in the mid-20th century
• Features the clear, systematic layout typical of USGS quadrangle maps
• Includes elevation contours, water bodies, roads, urban areas, and land-use distinctions
• Uses contour lines to show changes in elevation and the region’s hilly terrain
• Serves as a historical record of Peoria before later urbanization and land-use changes
• Visually emphasizes the physical relief of the landscape through detailed topographic representation

Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.

Detailed 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.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.

Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.

Every 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.

With 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 rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.