Mooseheart, as it will be when completed

Unrecorded aerial perspective of ‘The City of Children.’

This very rare bird’s eye view shows an idealized rendition of Mooseheart, a community for children established by the Loyal Order of Moose in Kane County, Illinois – about 40 miles west of Chicago. In 1913, the Moose organization acquired 750 acres of rural farmland and erected a barn, a few sheds, and a large circus tent donated by the Ringling Brothers – a modest start to what was hoped to become a large village designed to support underprivileged children.

The sweeping illustrated plan, signed and dated ‘R. Veentlier 1914’ in the lower left, represents the ambitious dreams of the Progressive Era. The campus includes dozens of gleaming white buildings with red-tiled roofs. Community centers, farms, factories, and outdoor areas reflect the various programs intended to educate the residents.

The transportation network is notable. The Lincoln Highway, dedicated the year prior, is well-paved and can be seen in the foreground, in use by automobiles, horse-drawn vehicles, and pedestrians. Steam railroads and an electric interurban provide ‘mass transit’ options while frolicking children skinny-dip nearby in the Fox River. Only white applicants were accepted at Mooseheart until well into the 20th century, possibly as late as the 1980s.

The view is rare and apparently unrecorded, with no listings in OCLC, Rumsey, or other online databases. A thorough search of local Chicago institutions also fails to identify any known examples. This copy was acquired from a local Moose lodge in the Chicagoland region.