Donated 234-year-old map on display at Chicago-area museum

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (AP) - A suburban Chicago geographer has donated a 234-year-old map of Canada and the Great Lakes region to a museum in Will County.

The Naperville Sun reports that officials say Joe Kubal of Naperville recently donated the French map from 1783 to the Forest Preserve of Will County's Isle a la Cache Museum in Romeoville.

Facility supervisor Chris Gutman says the hand-colored map is on display now. Gutman describes the map as being "in remarkable shape for how old it is."

Kubal is a member of the Chicago Map Society. He started collecting maps about 30 years ago.

George Ritzlin is owner of an Evanston antique map company. Ritzlin says the donated map is an updated version of a drawing originally from 1703 by a French cartographer.