Libraries

Illinois Map Resources

The Map Collection has a wide variety of maps available for the state of Illinois and the west central Illinois region, including county plat books and highway maps. Use WestCat to search for plat books by county name. Most of the maps are not cataloged. To learn more about the maps available in the collection please contact or visit the Map Collection (Telephone: 298-2722 or via E-mail).

Illinois Department of Transportation

The Illinois Department of Transportation has an interactive mapping site that can be used to learn about traffic and road construction in Illinois.

WIU Trees

This interactive mapping site can be used to identify the name of a tree or bush on the WIU Macomb campus.

McDonough County Interactive Atlas

An interactive atlas and mapping site for McDonough County, Illinois, which allows users to explore the physical and cultural geography of the county.

Federal Township Plats of Illinois, 1804-1891

The Land Ordinance of 1785 established the Public Land Survey System for the United States. This site contains digitized versions of the township plats for Illinois showing the geography, vegetation and other features that existed in Illinois prior to settlement.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Illinois, Library of Congress

The Library of Congress has scanned many of the Sanborn Fire Insurance maps in their collection. Unlike the online collection below, these maps have been scanned in color, so they can be used to determine building construction (stone, wood, brick, etc.) in addition to studying land use change and the growth and development of cities and towns over many years.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Illinois, 1867-1891

This is an online collection of digitized Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. These maps were originally developed to help fire insurance companies determine the risks associated with insuring properties. The collection includes detailed street maps of many cities and towns in Illinois drawn at a scale of 50 feet to an inch. The collection, which covers the time period from 1867 to 1970, can be used to study the growth and development of cities and towns over many years.

Land Cover of Illinois in the Early 1800s

This site contains links to county land cover maps developed from the Illinois Township Plats. A poster showing land cover for the entire state of Illinois can be purchased from the Illinois Natural History Survey.

Plat book of McDonough County, Illinois, 1893

A digitized version of the 1893 Plat Book for McDonough County, Illinois from the Library of Congress' American Memory Collection.

Illinois Maps in American Memory

There are over 140 maps of Illinois, including birdseye views of cities and county land ownership maps for Illinois in the Library of Congress' American Memory Collection.

Historic Maps of Illinois and the Northwest Territories

A digital collection of historic maps of Illinois and the Northwest Territories.

Illinois Historical Aerial Photography

A digital collection of historical aerial photography for Illinois.

Mississippi River Historical Aerial Photography, 1927

A digital collection of aerial photography of the Mississippi River done in response to the flooding that occurred that year.

Illinois Digital Orthophoto Quadrangles

Digital orthophotos of Illinois from the National Aerial Photography Program (NAPP), taken between 1998 and 2001.

Illinois Spatial Data Clearinghouse

A collection of digital spatial data of Illinois for use with GIS.

Climate Maps of Illinois

Maps showing precipitation, snowfall, temperature and other climate–related topics from the Illinois State Climatologist.

Illinois Amphibian and Reptile Data

This website contains information on the distribution of reptiles and amphibians in Illinois and other resources that can be used to identify reptiles and amphibians in Illinois.

Mississippi River Navigation Chart

A digital version of the Mississippi River Navigation Charts available from the Army Corps of Engineers. Legend

Illinois River Navigation Chart 2013

A digital version of the Illinois River Navigation Charts available from the Army Corps of Engineers.

Illinois Map Collections