CHICAGO IN MAPS

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These are direct links to historic maps online that are limited to a specific subject.

General reference maps can be found in the Historic maps section.

For entire collections, see also Sources and links

Chicago growth, decade by decade
An animated display of the city's growth

World's Columbian Exposition site today
Buildings of the 1893 Fair superimposed on Jackson Park

Chicago rapid transit history
all current and former lines and stations
updated from a map in the Encyclopedia of Chicago

Chicago Catholic parishes and churches 1926

Chicago freight tunnel network 1904

Chicago water works system in 1896
intake cribs and distribution network

Original surveyor plats of Illinois townships
township maps showing dimensions of sections and features circa 1830

Redlining maps
1930s maps of "creditworthiness" in various city neighborhoods have been blamed for disinvestment—but were not actuallyknown to or used by lenders

Indian trails of the Chicago area
based on Scharf's 1900 map of trails and villages thought to exist circa 1804
Scharf's original map is online here

 

Geological maps of Chicago

Chicago Loop quadrangle
showing landfill in light green

Lake Calumet quadrangle
showing lake before 1950s filling and port construction

Complete portfolio of Chicago Area Geologic Maps

Chicago railroad maps

Smoke Abatement maps of Chicago railroads & industry
download full 1915 report (1177 pages) in PDF format from archive.org
download 151 map pages only in PDF format

Smoke Abatement map of Chicago railroads & industry 1915
central area as one large image

Open Railway Map
Open Street Map, emphasizing railroads and rail transit

Chicago transit map collection online at Illinois Railway Museum

Chicago transit maps from Chicago-L.org:

1898 transit map 1898

Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad
shown on a complete street map

1913 transit map 1913

Chicago Elevated Railways system map

1926 transit map 1926

Chicago Rapid Transit system map

1933 transit map 1933

Chicago Rapid Transit system map

1946 transit map 1946

Chicago Rapid Transit system map

1965 transit map 1965

Chicago Transit Authority system map

1975 transit map 1975

Chicago Transit Authority system map

1985 transit map 1985

Chicago Transit Authority system map

1995 transit map 1995

Chicago Transit Authority system map

 

 

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Chicago Transit Authority track maps
scanned and hosted by Illinois Railway Museum