Map of the Northern Pacific Railroad and Connections [with] The Great Northwest A Guide-Book and Itinerary

A tremendous promotional map and guidebook to the Northern Pacific Railroad, issued five years after completion of the transcontinental connection.

Proposals for the Transcontinental Railroad were first discussed in the United States as early as the 1840’s, but it wasn’t until after the Civil War that the dream became a concrete reality. The First Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869 and connected Council Bluffs, Iowa to Oakland, California.

Subsequent lines were quick to follow, and construction on the Northern Pacific Railroad began in 1870. Part of the funding allocated by Congress for construction of the railroad included nearly 40 million acres of land adjacent to the route, which could be sold to raise money for construction. Needless to say, the sale of its land and use of its lines (both freight and passenger service alike) was critical to the finances of the Northern Pacific after the route was completed in 1883. As such, the company would sponsor the production of a breadth of promotional material encouraging ridership along its network.

This is one such example, published by the Northern News Company in 1888. The guidebook contains nearly 400 pages which goes into extensive detail about each of the company’s operating divisions between Duluth and Portland. The flowery text, which praises the robust local economies and bountiful opportunity available, is accompanied by a number of views and illustrations, as well as a folding map that was originally contained in a back pocket.

The map, published by Rand McNally, shows the route of the Northern Pacific across the upper United States in bright red, with connecting lines shown in a more muted black. Land grands adjacent to the line are highlighted and grossly exaggerated in size, one of a number of optical “tricks” intended to persuade the audience. Other examples include the skewed location of Chicago, which apparently shares the same longitude as St. Ignace, distorted outlines and sizes of several states, and the inclusion of towns at regular intervals along the line, irrespective of their actual position. A large inset map in the lower center shows the connections between Chicago and the East, highlighting the city’s strategic location as a transportation hub during the 19th century.