I had a bunch of maps saved up that I had some purpose for that I forgot, so I thought I would present them here for your enjoyment. The first two are related to Mill Creek and Chouteau’s Pond, and demonstrate how important the body of water was to early St. Louis. Remember, all images can be clicked on to see a larger version.

Today, having been successfully routed into a sewer, it’s largely been forgotten, replaced by an interstate, railroad yards and parking lots for Cardinal games. I wrote about the sewer several years ago at St. Louis Magazine.

These two maps are of incredible importance, as they show the major roads and rail lines coming out of the city before the Civil War. What’s fascinating is that they are more or less in the same locationtoday. In fact, the major arteries that still exist today and affect traffic on a daily basis were laid down in the 1840s or even earlier. The property lines are also present, if not labeled, and if you look at modern post-World War II subdivisions largely follow their lines, as well.

Finally, this map includes important information about the laying down of Grand Boulevard before it was even within the city limits. It’s worth reading the whole text that goes along with this map, back when major streets were just an idea on a surveyor’s desk.