Old Map of Kenilworth, Illinois by USGS, 1899 – Evanston, Wilmette & Lake Michigan

Published in 1905 from survey data gathered in 1899, the US Geological Survey’s “Evanston” captures the North Shore of Illinois at a defining moment in its transformation from lakefront settlements and open land into one of Chicago’s most distinctive suburban corridors. Produced under Charles L. Walcott, then director of the USGS, the map presents Evanston, Kenilworth, Wilmette, Skokie, and the northern reaches of Chicago with a precision that reflects the Survey’s expanding scientific ambitions. Its muted early twentieth-century palette, crisp lettering, and disciplined topographic language give order to a rapidly changing landscape. Lake Michigan anchors the eastern edge, while the growing web of roads, railways, and waterways reveals the forces drawing these communities ever closer to metropolitan Chicago.

Kenilworth, prominently shown on the map, is especially compelling in this context. Founded in the 1890s as a planned residential community, it represented a new ideal of suburban refinement: spacious lots, careful street planning, proximity to rail service, and a deliberate separation from the dense industrial fabric of Chicago. The map records Kenilworth in its formative years, when its identity as an exclusive North Shore enclave was still being inscribed onto the landscape. Nearby Wilmette and Evanston appear as established yet still-expanding communities, connected by roads and railways that shaped patterns of commuting, commerce, and settlement. Seen today, the map offers a rare glimpse of these suburbs before the full acceleration of twentieth-century development.

The topographic character of the “Evanston” sheet is one of its most revealing qualities. Though the landscape north of Chicago is not mountainous, the USGS contour work makes visible the subtle undulations, shore features, drainage patterns, and low-relief terrain that influenced settlement and infrastructure. The careful depiction of Lake Michigan’s shoreline underscores the importance of the lake as both a natural boundary and a defining civic presence. Inland, the Chicago River system and the North Shore Channel area speak to a region increasingly shaped by engineering as much as by nature. These hydrological features would become central to sanitation, flood control, transportation, and the broader reshaping of metropolitan Chicago’s environment.

The map also records the infrastructural anatomy of the North Shore at the turn of the century. Rail lines thread through Evanston, Wilmette, Kenilworth, and neighboring districts, illustrating the essential role of commuter rail in suburban growth. Roads appear with a clarity that reveals both older routes and emerging street grids, marking the transition from rural and semi-rural land use to planned residential development. Lincoln Park and the northern districts of Chicago sit within the wider frame, linking civic green space, urban expansion, and lakeside geography. The built environment is balanced against open land, waterways, and shoreline, creating a layered portrait of a region poised between natural landscape and modern metropolitan form.

Charles L. Walcott’s association with the map places it within an important era of American scientific mapping. Best known as a geologist and later as secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Walcott led the US Geological Survey during a period when systematic topographic mapping became essential to government planning, resource study, engineering, and public knowledge. The “Evanston” sheet exemplifies that mission: empirical, elegant, and rich with practical detail. More than a record of place, it is a document of urban history, showing how Chicago’s northern suburbs were surveyed, measured, and understood at the dawn of the twentieth century. For collectors, it offers a sophisticated view of the North Shore before modern density remade the scene.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Evanston
• Kenilworth
• Wilmette
• Lincoln Park
• Lake Michigan
• Skokie
• North Shore Channel
• Chicago River
• Various roads and railways surrounding the area

Historical context & cartographic details

• Map name: Evanston
• Producer/Publisher: US Geological Survey, produced by Charles L. Walcott
• Date of creation: Survey data from 1899, published in 1905
• Description: Historical topographical map at a scale of 1:62,500, showing the surrounding area in Illinois
• Design and cartographic details: Uses a muted color palette typical of early 20th-century maps, with careful delineation of urban and natural features
• Topographic character: Includes contours and markings to depict elevation changes and landforms
• Historical significance: Illustrates changes in land use and development, highlighting the growth of suburban areas around Chicago since the late 19th century

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.