Post Route Map Illinois [Burlington Route]

Updating a mid-1960s postal map to note railroad trackage across Illinois.

This marvelously detailed map of the Land of Lincoln was published under the authority of Postmaster General John A Gronouski in January 1964. It shows the complex system of rural postal delivery upon which the mostly agrarian state heavily relied. Insets highlight the urban areas of Chicago (upper left) and East St. Louis (lower left).

This particular example of the map has been mounted on linen and bound into sumptuous black leather boards with the gilt stamp ‘Burlington Route.’ Thick blue marker has been applied to the routes operated by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, with hashed lines presumably indicating those under lease from other companies, such as the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Just a few years after publication (in 1970), the Burlington Route would merge with the Great Northern, Northern Pacific, and the Spokane, Portland, and Seattle railroads to form the Burlington Northern.