The Tourist’s Pocket Map of the State of Illinois

Spectacular fold out tourist’s guide to Illinois.

Samuel Augustus Mitchell was one of the most prominent American mapmakers of the 19th century, and initially got involved with cartography as a school teacher who was frustrated with the quality of available maps. He collaborated with skilled engravers and produced high-quality maps and atlases that contained the most up to date information available.

This 1835 map of Illinois is an excellent example of Mitchell’s work and provides a wealth of information useful for a visitor to the state. The image shows surveyed townships, rail lines, county roads and canals. Major industries (including an inset of the Galena mine region), post offices, and significant geographic features are also labeled. Taken together, the map provides a fascinating snapshot of life on the Illinois frontier just a few years after Chicago was founded.

Tables on either side list steam boat routes and population statistics as of 1830. Of particular interest is the dwindling number of slaves. After it was granted statehood, Illinois slowly developed a jurisprudence to gradually emancipate the enslaved population and the constitution of 1848 banned the practice outright.