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.

Although very little text accompanies the artifacts in Railroad Maps, 1828-1900, there are creative ways to use these maps in a language arts program. The maps can be used as starting points and illustrations for biographies and book reports. They can also be used in conjunction with literature and songs in exercises in which the combination of these media enhance the meaning to be derived from each.

1) Biography

To aid in their understanding of the history of railroads, students can research and write a biography of an important contributor to railroads and railroad maps. They can browse the collection's Creator Index to find maps they like and then research the cartographer. They can also read the special presentation History of Railroads and Maps to find the names of other figures in the history of railroads.

Louisiana, c1895. Published by Rand McNally and Company.

Their reports should include how the individual contributed to railroad development. They can also include information on the state of railroad transportation during this individual's life. Images of the person they chose to research may be included in other American Memory collections. Search across the American Memory prints and photographs collections on the individual's name to retrieve images.

2) Travel Stories

Complementing this collection's maps with travel stories from American Memory, teachers may create an activity in which the concurrent use of text and visual data adds to the comprehension of each. To find books recounting individuals' experiences with train travel search the descriptive information on railroad in the collections California As I Saw It: First-Person Narratives, 1849-1900 and Pioneering the Upper Midwest, ca. 1820-1910. Students can search Railroad Maps to find maps of the regions written about in the travel stories. Then ask them to find on the map the names of landmarks mentioned by the authors. If the author wrote about a trip, have the students trace the route the writer traveled. Students can write a book report with maps from the collection as illustration.

Railroad and post office map of Minnesota and Wisconsin, 1871.

3) Rhythm

To assist in the study of rhythm in writing, whether poetry, lyrics, or even prose, use the imagery of the railroad. Ask students what sound a moving train makes. (Although many modern trains do not make the "chug-a chug-a chug-a chug-a" sound, most people are likely to vocalize this beat when asked to make the sound of a moving train.)

Then have students listen to historic recordings of railroad songs to hear the train rhythm guiding the song. Search on railroad in the American Memory collections listed below to find sound recordings, song sheets and sheet music. (Note that someone may need to play the sheet music for students who are unable to read it.)

• African-American Sheet Music, 1850-1920
• America Singing: Nineteenth-Century Song Sheets
• Blues, Gospel, and the Fort Valley Music Festivals, 1938-1943
• California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties
• Fiddle Tunes of the Old Frontier
• Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920
• Southern Mosaic: The John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip
• Voices from the Dust Bowl, 1940-1941

New enlarged scale railroad and county map of California, c1883.

Noting the dates and regions where these songs were performed, students can search Railroad Maps to see what rail lines traversed the areas in which the songs' creators lived. Once the students can hear the rhythm of the train in these songs, have them write poetry and prose with this same rhythm. Students will need to think of words that fit the rhythm in either the number of syllables, the sounds of the letters, or other creative ways. They can recite the poem aloud for the class while listening students tap out the rhythm of the train.

4) Lyrics

Railroad songs can also be used in an exercise focusing on lyrics. Lyrics are a wonderful way to learn of the lives of those who wrote and sang them. Lyrics to railroad songs provide further evidence of the significance of the railroad in America. Have students search on railroad in these collections to find lyrics about trains.

African-American Sheet Music, 1850-1920 America Singing: Nineteenth-Century Song Sheets Blues, Gospel, and the Fort Valley Music Festivals, 1938-1943 California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Fiddle Tunes of the Old Frontier Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920 Southern Mosaic: The John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip Voices from the Dust Bowl, 1940-1941

With what are railroads associated or equated? What words and imagery did people use to describe railroads? Were trains a part of their daily lives? If so, how? Do the songs reflect hopes and fears people associated with railroads? What other information about trains do the songs provide?

Noting the names of towns and cities and the names and types of trains mentioned in the lyrics, students can search Railroad Maps to find evidence of and information about the rail lines people may have been singing about. Having studied the language and content of lyrics, students can write their own songs about trains. They can practice using imagery and conveying emotions and concepts through word choice.

Map showing the route of the Louisville, New Orleans, and Texas Railroad, 1883.

5) Literature

Many American authors have used railroads symbolically in their novels, essays, or short stories. Some titles include The Octopus by Frank Norris, Song of the Lark by Willa Cather, and Walden by Henry David Thoreau. Teachers can provide students with excerpts from novels or other writings that use trains in this and other ways. Have students determine the significance of the train to the plot if appropriate, and the overall meaning of the work. Why did the author use the railroad as opposed to other forms of transportation? What does the use of a train convey to the reader?

Students can then search the collection on the region where the story takes place or on names of railroads, such as Thoreau's Fitchburg Railroad. If maps of the region or railroad do not exist in the collection, students can search for others of the same time period or place. What additional information do the maps provide about the railroad system at that time? How do they enhance your understanding of the novel or story? Do they prove or disprove the historical accuracy or symbolic meaning of the writing?

Map of rail road surveys from Worcester to Baldwinville & N.H. line.