The Library of Congress

Railroad Maps, 1828-1900

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Go directly to the collection, Railroad Maps, 1828-1900, in American Memory, or view a Summary of Resources related to the collection.

The primary source materials of Railroad Maps, 1828-1900 provide students with first-hand evidence of several important aspects of nineteenth-century American history. Students can explore the development of railroad transportation, military campaigns, the growth of the nation, industrialism, and tourism. Because students can find evidence of these historical topics for themselves in the collection's maps, they will gain a lasting comprehension of what they discover.

1) Railroad Transportation

For a good introduction to the collection, students can study the introduction of railroads to the United States and its impact, from its most fundamental significance to its more sophisticated meaning.

Trains introduced new innovations in the continuing search for the easiest way to move large loads of passengers and goods quickly and efficiently from one place to another. The train linked together several cars or vehicles into one long caravan. This linking was made possible by the use of tracks or roads of rail to guide the train behind the pulling engine. The locomotive was thought of as concentrating the pulling power of many horses into one entity, and thus rated by degree of "horse power". Students can better appreciate these and other changes introduced by the railroad, by examining maps of their choice from the collection's Title Index. They can also search on the name of their home town or state, or on the name of major American cities to find maps of places with which they are familiar. Ask students to find basic information from the maps such as:

How many rail lines are depicted on the map? Are they all operated by the same company? Where do rail lines start and end? Through what cities do the trains travel? Noting the date of the map, what types of trains possibly ran on the routes shown? For example, were they likely to be steam powered or electric? What other forms of transportation are depicted on the map? Do the rail lines depicted on the map still exist today? Then students can look with more depth to find evidence of How railroads were used How widespread their use and impact was The creation of railroad companies The relationship between railroads and urbanization patterns

Map of the State of Florida, 1856.

For additional transportation maps, students can browse the Title Index for the Transportation and Communication section of Map Collections: 1500-2004.

2) Military Campaigns

In 1764, British engineer Capt. John Montressor built the first North American railway, located in Lewiston, New York, and used it for military purposes. Military usage continued to be an impetus for the development of railroad technology. The railroad's ability to transport troops and supplies was a major impetus for railroad mapping during the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln had these military benefits in mind when he backed the building of the transcontinental railroad, although it was not completed until 1869.

Search on military to find maps depicting railroads used for military purposes. Based on the year the map was made, students can determine for which war the map was created. They can determine how railroads aided in the war effort. Between what areas did the trains run? How was that important to the military campaign? What additional forms of transportation might the soldiers have used? How might the enemy act upon the information it would glean from such a map? How are trains used in war in modern times?

Hazard's rail road & military map of the southern states, 1863.

For additional maps, students can browse the Subject Index for the Military Battles and Campaigns section of Map Collections: 1544-1999. Within that section of the collection is Civil War Maps which students can browse by its Title Index.

3) Westward Expansion

Pioneering and westward expansion also fueled the growth of railroads while railroads, in turn, fueled pioneering and expansion. Pioneers' movement West created demand for means of transportation to new territories. That demand rose in 1848 when America acquired California at the end of the Mexican War and a man discovered gold in this future state. The demand was eventually met in part by railroads, which increased expansion by fostering migration and adding railroad laborers to the population of pioneers.

Between 1850 and 1857, the Appalachian Mountains were crossed by five railway lines linking the Midwest and the East. In the late 1850s, a continuous line connected the lower Mississippi River with the southern Atlantic seaboard. And, on May 10, 1869, laborers completed the transcontinental railroad, linking the continent.

Map showing the Union Pacific Railway and branch lines, 1888.

Students can search on California and the railroad lines Union Pacific and Central Pacific to find maps of the western region. To assist in their understanding of frontier life, students can read books in the collections California As I Saw It: First-Person Narratives of California's Early Years, 1849-1900 and Pioneering the Upper Midwest: Books from Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, ca. 1820-1910. Use the option of searching the descriptive information of each collection on railroad. Students can use the maps of California and the western territories in Railroad Maps, 1828-1900 to see the railroad lines discussed by the authors. From these readings students will gain a sense of the importance of the railroad to the pioneer lifestyle and the impact of the railroad on their lives.

For additional maps of Westward Expansion, students can search on the names of western states and regions across Map Collections: 1500-2004.

4) Agriculture and Industrialization

Settlers of the Great Plains in the late nineteenth century developed large-scale dry-farming methods. These farming techniques required new farm equipment. As the equipment became available, more land came under cultivation between 1870 and 1900 than in the previous 250 years, bringing the American frontier to a close. Trains supported this agricultural boom. Railroads were necessary to transport the farms' harvests to the cities. At the same time, railroads also supported an industrial boom fueled by the exploitation of natural resources. Like farmers, mining and logging companies needed a way to transport their products to industrial centers and found their need met by trains.

Have students search on the names of states and cities that were either the sources of raw materials or the centers of industrial production. Students will see how these areas were serviced by rail lines. For additional maps showing settlement patterns of the West, students can browse the Title Index for the Cultural Landscapes section of Map Collections: 1500-2004.

Map showing the route and connections of the Wheeling and Cincinnati Mineral Railway, 1882.

5) Postal Service

After nearly 4,000 years of delivery by foot, horse, or boat, in the early 19th century the speed of mail delivery was greatly improved with the use of steamships and railroads. The first American railway post office was created in 1864. Where trains did not run, stagecoaches continued to deliver mail. Students can use this collection to study the impact of railroads on the postal service and its impact on the American lifestyle.

Galbraith's railway mail service maps, Michigan, c1898.

Search on mail service and post service to retrieve maps of post office locations and the rail lines that served them. Have students consider how quicker postal service would have affected the daily lives of citizens. Did most people receive mail each day? Who would send them letters? To whom might they write? What kinds of information might have been communicated by mail? How would business benefit from faster postal service? To retrieve additional maps of postal routes and post offices, students can search on post and mail in the Transportation and Communication section of Map Collections: 1500-2004. Also have students search on telegraph to find maps depicting the routes this form of communication traveled.

6) Tourism

After the Civil War, railroad developers looked to the scenic draw of the West as a means of attracting railroad travelers. Rather than looking to settle in new lands, many of these travelers were vacationing. Students can see how mapmakers targeted potential tourists by viewing the 1836 map The tourist's guide through the states of Maryland, Delaware and part of Pennsylvania & Virginia. Students can answer the following questions:

How does this map particularly cater to tourists in the information it includes? What text did the cartographer include on the map? If you were a tourist, would you be intrigued to visit areas on the map? What route would you travel? What places would you see? For this and other tourists' maps of the West, students can search on railroad in Mapping the National Parks section of Map Collections: 1500-2004.

The tourist's guide through the states of Maryland, Delaware and part of Pennsylvania & Virginia, 1836.