Old maps of Chicago, Old Illinois maps, Illinois historical map. All maps free online. Plus Illinois historic gazetteers, old Illinois atlases, vintage maps of Chicago.
Old Illinois Maps – Old Maps of Chicago – Old Illinois Atlases
Map of Illinois 1822 – Illinois Historical Map
Rumsey Collection
Philadelphia: Carey 1822
Old map of Illinois.
See our Century Past collected links to free online map sites. We have 5 pages of links: for the U.S., North America, UK & Ireland, Worldwide, & Military maps.
Parts of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana 1833 – Illinois Historical Map
Rumsey
Great Britain: Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge 1833
Illinois historical map.
The Tourist’s Pocket Map of Illinois, exhibiting its internal improvements, roads, distances &c 1834 – Illinois Historical Map
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Philadelphia: Mitchell 1834
This also includes a list of steamboat routes, and an inset map of the “Lead Mine Region East of the Mississippi River”. Illinois historical map.
Map of a Portion of the Indian Country [in the later states of Wisconsin and Illinois] 1835 – Illinois Historical Map
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Gales and Seaton 1835
“A map of a portion of the Indian country lying east and west of the Mississippi River to the forty sixth degree of north latitude from personal observation made in the autumn of 1835 and recent authentic documents.” Illinois historical map.
See our free books on Illinois economic topics
A New Map of Illinois with its Proposed Canals, Roads & Distances from Place to Place along the State & Steam Boat Routes 1836 – Illinois Historical Maps
Lewis University
Philadelphia: Tanner. 1836
Illinois historical maps.
Mitchell’s Map of Illinois Exhibiting its Internal Improvements, Counties, Towns, Roads 1837 – Illinois Historical Map
Lewis University
Mitchell 1837
Historic maps of Illinois, Map of Illinois counties.
Blanchard’s Township Map of Illinois 1869 – Old Illinois Maps
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Chicago: R. Blanchard 1869
“Showing all the rail roads, stations, and towns, being a complete shippers guide to the state with parts of Iowa and Missouri.”
Illinois 1894 – Old Maps of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Chicago: Cram 1894
Shows railroad lines statewide. Historic maps of Illinois.
Landforms of Illinois 1956 – Illinois Topographical Map
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
James A. Bier 1956
Topographical map of the state, including towns.
See our free Illinois history books & articles
City of Chicago 1853 – Chicago Old Town Maps
Harvard University
Cook Co., Illinois. Henry Hart. 1853
Extremely detailed, this appears to show every building. Old maps of Chicago.
Chicago 1857 – Chicago Old Town Maps
Library of Congress
Chicago: Braunhold & Sonne, 1857
Click “Go” under the image window to make it download. “Birds eye” view not drawn to scale. It portrays the buildings in the city in fine detail, with a key at the bottom identifying important buildings.
Birds eye view of the Chicago packing houses & union stock yards 1890 – Old Maps of Chicago
Collection
Chicago: Charles Rascher 1890
Detailed drawing showing all the buildings and other areas in the Chicago stockyards in 1890. Many of the buildings are identified by their function and the company that operated there.
Bird’s eye view of the World’s Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893 – Old Maps of Chicago
Library of Congress
Rand McNally 1893
A detailed drawing providing an excellent view of all the buildings of the exposition.
A Map of Chicago’s Gangland from Authentic Sources 1931 – Old Map of Chicago
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Chicago: Bruce-Roberts 1931
“Designed to inculcate the most important principles of piety and virtue in young persons, and graphically portray the evils and sin of large cities.” Historic maps of Illinois.
Metropolitan Chicago and Vicinity 1956 – Old Map of Chicago
Rumsey Map Collection
Chicago: Shell Oil Company 1956
Originally published as a roadmap for distribution at Shell service stations.
Springfield, Illinois 1867 – Illinois Historical Maps
Library of Congress
Chicago Lithographing 1867
“Birds eye” view not drawn to scale. It shows all the buildings in the city and street names, with a key at the bottom identifying important buildings. Illinois historical maps.
See our Illinois historic documents
Indian Land Cessions in Illinois. Illinois Map 1 – Illinois Historical Maps
Indian Land Cessions in Illinois. Illinois Map 2
18th Annual report of the Bureau of American Ethnology: Schedule of Treaties and Acts of Congress
Smithsonian Institution: Bureau of American Ethnology
GPO 1896-97
The 18th Annual report of the Bureau of American Ethnology contains, in the latter portion of Volume 2, a “Schedule of Treaties and Acts of Congress Authorizing Allotments of Land in Severalty”. Included in this is a “Schedule of Indian Land Sessions” that provides summary descriptions of each case throughout the U.S. in which a tribe ceded land (whether by sale or not) to the U.S. Federal government. The Schedule is followed by maps of every U.S. state that contained such land cessions. These maps show the locations of land ceded. A number on each land cession corresponds to an entry in the “Schedule of Indian Land Sessions”, which begins on page 648 of the Annual Report.
How to use this: Click the link for Illinois Map 1, which is at images 552-553 of the Report, or Map 2, at 556-557. Note the number of the land cession you wish to read about, and search for that number in the Schedule (3rd link above) that begins on page 648 of the Annual Report. This Schedule is organized as a table that spans 2 pages, so look on odd-numbered pages for the land cession number that corresponds with the map location. The preceding page contains a description for that cession, plus a reference to the legal statute.
Interactive Map of Illinois County Formation History – Illinois Historical Maps
Map of US.org
Scroll part-way down this webpage for the interactive online map, which shows the changing county borders over time, from 1790 to 1869. You can also see the county boundaries in each census year from 1810 to 1930. Map of Illinois counties.
Illinois Historical Maps – Collections
Counties of Illinois: their Origin and Evolution, with Twenty-three Maps Showing the Original and the Present Boundary Lines of each County of the State – Old Illinois County Map
Hughes, Edward J., comp.
Springfield: State of Illinois 1941
Map of Illinois counties, Illinois historical maps.
Railroad Maps of Illinois – Old Illinois Maps
Illinois Digital Archives
Various publishers and years of publication
39 State-wide maps of Illinois’ rail transportation network, published from the late 19th through the late 20th centuries. Illinois historical maps.
Illinois Historical Maps and Atlases
Historic MapWorks
According to the Historic MapWorks website, the State of Illinois collection contains 3,149 atlases spanning the years 1696-2007. Within the atlases are 191,165 historical maps, illustrations and histories. Old Illinois atlases.
Historical Maps Online
University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and University of Illinois Press
The intent of the Historical Maps Online project is to electronically publish the images of maps charting the last 400 years of historical development in Illinois and the Northwest Territory. Historic maps of Illinois.
Old Maps Online
This is a collaborative portal for accessing a number of online map collections worldwide. U.S. collections include;
The David Rumsey Collection
Harvard Library Collection
New York Public Library Collection
Leventhal Map Center at Boston Public Library
North Carolina Digital Heritage Center. Old maps of Illinois.
60 Panoramic maps or Birds-eye views of various Illinois cities and towns – Old Illinois City Maps
Library of Congress
Various publishers and years of publication
Many of these are highly detailed pictures showing all buildings. The viewer at this site enables high-resolution zooms.
Federal Township Plats of Illinois (1804-1891) – Historic Illinois Plat Maps
Illinois State Archives
The Illinois State Archives digitized its 3,457 federal township plats of Illinois. These are hand drawn plats that show Illinois’ landscape as it was before American settlement as well as legal surveying measurements. Occasionally the plats indicate man-made features, both Indian and European. The U.S. Surveyor General and his deputy surveyors drew these maps of “six miles square” townships or fractional townships in preparation for the Federal government’s sale of public lands. Old Illinois plat maps.
Old Illinois Gazetteers
A Gazetteer of the States of Illinois and Missouri, containing a general view of their counties, and a particular description of their towns, villages, rivers, &c: with a map, and other engravings
Beck, Lewis C.
Albany: Webster. 1823
Illinois historic gazetteers.
Profiles of Illinois: History, statistics, demographics for 1,436 populated places in Illinois including comparative statistics and rankings
Garoogian, David
Grey House 2011
“This edition provides data on all populated communities and counties in the state of Illinois for which the US Census provides individual statistics. It includes seven major sections that cover everything from Education to Ethnic Backgrounds to Climate. All sections include Comparative Statistics or Rankings, and full-color Maps at the back of the book provide valuable information in a quickly processed, visual format.” – Introduction
Gazetteer of Illinois, in Three Parts …
containing a general view of the State, a general view of each county, and a particular description of each town, settlement, stream, prairie, bottom, bluff, etc.; alphabetically arranged
Peck, John Mason
Philadelphia: Grigg & Elliot 1837
Illinois historic gazetteers.
Illinois State Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1858 and 1859
Hawes, George
Chicago: 1858
Old Illinois gazetteers.