Abandoned Record
About Birds
This is a site record: what public sources say about Birds, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.
Map
Where Birds is
Historic maps
7 historic USGS maps cover Birds
Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.
- 1917 Birds sheet, 1:62,500 · GeoTIFF download
- 1942 Birds sheet, 1:62,500 · GeoTIFF download
- 1956 Vincennes sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1957 Vincennes sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1958 Vincennes sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1964 Birds sheet, 1:24,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1986 Vincennes sheet, 1:100,000 · GeoTIFF download
Directions
Getting there
Before you go
- Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
- Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
- Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.
Nearby
Other sites near Birds
Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our Illinois index.
- Crawfordsville2.1 mi N · Crawford
- Palmyra25.9 mi S · Wabash
- Mills Prairie28.2 mi SW · Edwards
- Lexington33.2 mi SW · Edwards
- Piankashawtown36.3 mi SW · Edwards
- Sailor Springs37.6 mi W · Clay
- Wanborough39.1 mi SW · Edwards
Sources
Sources
- ghosttowns.com, "Birds": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
- USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
- USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).