Preview
Identifier
metapth298869
Description
The completion of the first transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869, at Promontory Point, Utah Territory, marked the culmination of a technological dream and the beginning of a new phase in the American West. This attractively printed transcontinental railroad map is one example of the thousands of thematic railroad route maps produced during the era that were intended to appeal to travelers, emigrants, and tourists. The map carefully notes all of the Central Pacific Railroad’s stations or “whistle stops” along the dark snaking line of the route. Based on increasingly accurate information from the government surveys, Williams’ map stresses, with some exaggeration, the rugged topography of the Great Basin and Rockies. It indicates stage coach routes and other railroads already built or projected including the narrow-gauge line from Palisade to Eureka, Nevada Territory, and the Colorado Central Railroad between Cheyenne and Denver, both of which were related to mining booms. Dozens of military “forts” must have reassured travelers especially concerned about hostile Indian attacks since the Custer debacle the previous year. In short, the modern convenience of the railroad juxtaposed with the map’s vast and rugged topography must have beckoned travelers to a great adventure. The negative undercurrent in all of this positive promotion, of course, was the destructive impact of mining, railroads, and the great migration on the environment and the inhabitants already there. Except for a single Dakota Territory rather than the separate states of North and South Dakota, the political boundaries appear as today.
Archival Date
1877
Location
75/7
Collection Name
Cartographic Connections
Collection Number
800643
Publisher
University of Texas at Arlington Libraries
Original Format
Map
File Format
JPG
Rights
Any use of content downloaded or printed from this site is limited to non-commercial personal or educational use, including fair use as directed by U.S. copyright laws. For more information or for reproduction requests, please contact Special Collections
Subjects
United States; Western States
Item Type
image
Names
Williams, H. T.
Subjects
United States; Western States