The 1858 Urbana-West Urbana Map
“The following spring after we came here I made a map of this town which occupied me 3 or 4 month. I made two hundred dollars clear in that speculation. I then commenced in the summer of 1858 a map of the two towns Urbana and West Urbana now Champaign which being a very large enterprise took me longer than I expected and longer than it ought to have done. I however in spite of the bad times made about $100, over and over supporting my family and paying expenses”
- Alexander Bowman, The Alexander Bowman Journals, 1852-1864.
Notable for its use of the term West Urbana this map captures the moment of expansion of Urbana-Champaign. The Illinois Central Railroad was initially supposed to lay track in Urbana proper, but they laid it two miles further west where the land was flatter. West Urbana developed around the new railroad depot and was officially incorporated in 1855. The settlement grew substantially from there, and five years later christened itself Champaign (1860).
Around its border, the map offers an overwhelmingly positive view of the twin cities providing vignettes of local life for its most notable residents and principal civic buildings. While many features of early Urbana-Champaign are still recognizable today, there have unsurprisingly been some changes made to various names, buildings, and locations. What used to be High and Dry Streets in Urbana are now High and Illinois. The spelling of Neal Street switched to Neil sometime between 1858 and 1884 when the Bird’s Eye View Map of Champaign was produced.
Three copies of the 1858 Urbana-West Urbana map are known to survive. The Urbana Free Library is the location for two of the maps. One used to hang in the former Urbana City Building on Elm and Broadway. It was restored in 2005 and can be seen proudly hanging outside the Champaign County Historical Archives on the second floor of The Urbana Free Library. The British Library holds a third copy, where it was considered for placement in their Magnificent Maps exhibition in 2010.
The Cattle Bank Building is the only building represented in the 1858 Urbana-West Urbana Map that is still standing. Since its construction circa 1856, the two-story brick building has housed banks, manufacturing, drug and grocery stores, and a pharmacy. In 2002, the property found life once again when it became the new home of the Champaign County History Museum. It remains the oldest standing commercial building in Champaign to this day.
