Published in 1928 by the United States Geological Survey, “Berwyn” captures a revealing slice of western suburban Chicago at a moment of rapid metropolitan expansion. Centered on Riverside, Illinois, and extending across Berwyn, Cicero, Stickney, Summit, Forest View, and the edge of Chicago, the map presents the area in the precise visual language of a 1:24,000 topographical survey. Roads, rail lines, waterways, built-up districts, and subtle changes in elevation are carefully differentiated, allowing the viewer to read both the natural terrain and the human systems laid across it. The result is a richly detailed portrait of an urbanizing landscape in the late 1920s, where residential suburbs, industrial corridors, transportation routes, and waterways interlocked just beyond Chicago’s dense city core.

The US Geological Survey brought a distinctive rigor to maps such as this, combining scientific measurement with a clean, practical cartographic style. Contour lines trace the modest but meaningful variations in elevation across the Des Plaines River valley and its surrounding plains, while color and linework distinguish streets, structures, railways, and watercourses with admirable clarity. Unlike pictorial or promotional maps, this sheet was intended as an authoritative record of terrain and infrastructure, yet its disciplined design gives it a quiet elegance. Every road alignment, stream course, and industrial footprint speaks to the USGS mission: to render the American landscape legible, measurable, and useful for engineers, planners, officials, and citizens navigating a rapidly changing nation.

Riverside is one of the most historically compelling places shown on the map. Planned in the nineteenth century by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the village became famous for its curving streets, landscaped parks, and integration of residential life with natural scenery. On this 1928 map, Riverside’s distinctive plan can be appreciated within a broader regional setting, its graceful layouts contrasting with the more rectilinear street grids of Berwyn and Cicero nearby. The map records how this celebrated suburban experiment sat amid a growing network of roads, rail connections, and neighboring municipalities. It offers a fascinating view of Riverside not as an isolated landmark of landscape design, but as part of a larger suburban fabric shaped by transportation, commerce, and Chicago’s outward growth.

Water is one of the defining features of the mapped area. The Des Plaines River winds through the region, joined by Salt Creek and accompanied by the engineered presence of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, one of the most consequential infrastructure projects in the history of greater Chicago. These waterways helped shape settlement patterns, industrial placement, transportation routes, and floodplain geography. The map also marks railway corridors, including lines associated with what is now the BNSF Railway, emphasizing the importance of rail in linking these suburbs to Chicago and to wider commercial networks. Industrial landmarks such as the Western Electric Company site evoke the manufacturing energy of the early twentieth century, when factories, freight lines, and working-class neighborhoods developed in close proximity.

As a historical document, “Berwyn” offers a vivid snapshot of the Chicago suburbs on the eve of the Great Depression. Residential development was spreading westward, municipalities were becoming increasingly connected, and the landscape bore the imprint of both natural drainage systems and ambitious human engineering. Cicero and Berwyn appear as dense, gridded communities, while Stickney, Summit, and Forest View reveal a mixture of industry, transport corridors, and open land. The careful depiction of streets and land use allows modern viewers to compare the late-1920s landscape with the metropolitan region that followed. It is a map of transition: rural remnants giving way to suburbs, waterways turned into infrastructure, and local communities becoming part of the vast urban organism of greater Chicago.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Riverside, Illinois
• Berwyn, Illinois
• Cicero, Illinois
• Stickney, Illinois
• Summit, Illinois
• Forest View, Illinois
• Chicago, Illinois
• Des Plaines River
• Salt Creek
• BNSF Railway
• Western Electric Company historical industrial site
• Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal
• Various streets and roads as delineated by the map

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey as a historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Riverside, Illinois and the surrounding area
• Dated 1928
• Published by the US Geological Survey, a scientific agency of the U.S. government known for detailed geographic information and mapping
• Highlights Riverside, Illinois, known for its historic district and notable park layouts
• Shows surrounding areas including Berwyn and Cicero
• Features clear delineation of roads, waterways, and elevation changes
• Uses color coding to distinguish landforms, structures, land use, and elevation changes
• Includes contour lines to indicate changes in elevation
• Provides insight into late-1920s regional development, infrastructure, and land use patterns
• Shows traces of early 20th-century industrial activity and residential development
• Exhibits a clear, organized topographical layout characteristic of USGS mapping

Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.

Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.

Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.

Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.

With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.