Erie Railroad Serving the Heart of the Industrial Empire

Persuasive promotional map of the Erie Railroad encouraging industrial development along its lines.

This fascinating map of the northeastern United States covers the area from Chicago to New York, and boldly highlights the routes in operation by the Erie Railroad. Originally chartered in 1832 to connect Jersey City to Lake Erie at Dunkirk, New York, the railroad underwent a number of reorganizations throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, including one in 1895 which saw its lines extended westward to Chicago.

This map, published by the railroad in 1930, was issued at a period of intense competition for freight along the industrialized corridor, especially as the Great Depression began to take hold across the country. As a way to set their network apart from others, the publishers used a number of mechanisms to distort reality within the image.

For example, the size and shape of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York are greatly exaggerated – compare them to the outline of Massachusetts, for example. Furthermore, stops along each route (which themselves are highly stylized) are standardized for legibility and do not reflect their actual geographic location. Competing lines are minimized or omitted entirely, and illustrations along the top and bottom of the sheet visualize the bounty of commerce and industry available along the Erie Railroad.

The verso of the map features city plans of New York and Chicago, highlighting the tracks, freight houses, yards, and terminals available in the two major junctions at either end of the line. Several paragraphs of text also outline the benefits of operation along the railroad, and assures that “prompt attention is given to manufacturers considering new establishments and all negotiations are treated as strictly confidential.”