[Set of Three U.S.G.S. Copper Plates for Riverside, Illinois]

A rare, complete set of U.S.G.S. printing plates used in printing the 1920 map of Riverside, Illinois.

This marvelous and rare set of engraved copper plates was created by the United States Geological Survey to print its 1920 15-minute quadrangle map covering Riverside, Illinois, and the surrounding region (1:62,500 scale). Three heavy copper plates, each approximately 1/4″ thick, present reversed images corresponding to the key color separations of the final topographic map: one engraved with culture, roads, and place names (black); a second outlining contoured topography (brown); and a third capturing local hydrologic features (blue). The precise USGS printing process carefully registered each plate in succession, producing one of the most accurate spatial records of the area available at the time.

The map printed from these plates represents the seventh USGS edition of the Riverside quadrangle, following earlier issues in 1891, 1893, 1900, 1901, 1905, and 1911. The 1920 version updates the 1901 edition, though it remains unconfirmed whether an entirely new plate set was engraved for 1920 or if the earlier 1901 plates were directly altered and re-tooled (a practice that would render surviving copper sets even scarcer). While the map covers Riverside, which was nationally renowned as one of America’s earliest planned communities, designed in 1869 by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, it also captures a dynamic cross-section of Chicago’s expanding western suburbs between Hinsdale and Norwood Park, including Berwyn, River Forest, Elmhurst, and Maywood.

The engraved linework details the prominent transportation and industrial infrastructure that fueled the Windy City’s outward expansion in the early 20th century. Individual structures are shown as miniature black dots, while dense suburban corridors are rendered in solid block shading. Railway lines crisscross the landscape, underscoring how closely suburban growth aligned with rail transit. Key engineered waterways, including the Des Plaines River, the Sanitary and Ship Canal, the Des Plaines River Diversion Channel, and the Ogden Ditch, stand out alongside subtle contour lines that mark the gentle topography of the former prairie.