Map of Chicago Local Transportation System

One of several 20th century attempts to consolidate Chicago’s transit system.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Chicago’s transit network was a complex political issue that pitted public benefit against private operators looking to extend their track leases. Growing interest in municipal ownership of the streetcars, elevated lines, and subways led to a series of referendums, committees, and court decisions, each favoring one side or the other. In early 1918, the City Council passed legislation to create the Chicago Local Transit Company, tasked with consolidating operations of the various transit systems. The ordinance was vetoed by Mayor ‘Big Bill’ Thompson, which was overridden and then sent to a November referendum, where it ultimately failed in a public vote.

This ephemeral map of the city provides a succinct and easily understood summary of the terms of the proposed ordinance. The key in the upper right explains how the different colors and solid/dashed lines represent current and projected routes. Red is used to denote a massive expansion of the elevated lines. The figures adjacent reflect the number of tracks, whereas the small stars note “the precise location to be determined hereafter by the city by ordinance” (not exactly reassuring). An inset of the Loop is visible immediately below.

Published locally in 1918 by Rand McNally & Co. The map is quite scarce – only three copies are listed in WorldCat as of June 2025, at the Newberry Library, Chicago History Museum, and University of Chicago. OCLC# 1001473415