Map of the City of Chicago

A rebuilt Chicago just a few years after the devastating Great Fire.

This attractive map of Chicago was published locally in the city’s Lakeside Building by Warner & Beers for inclusion in the firm’s 1876 Atlas of the State of Illinois. It presents a detailed outline of the Windy City just a few short years after much of the downtown area was consumed by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

City limits are outlined in red, parks and boulevards are highlighted in green, and wards are individually colored – all by hand shortly after the map was printed. Numerous locations of interest are labeled, including the Court House, the new Post Office, the University of Chicago, and Ogden’s House – one of the few residences in that area to survive the fire and the eventual site of the Newberry Library.

A robust network of railroads can be seen emanating from the north, east, and south, while streetcar lines are also faintly noted. Lake Michigan contains the innovative 2-mile tunnel built in 1865 and used to obtain fresh drinking water for the city.