Missouri

The railroads of Missouri in the late 19th century.

This vibrant celebration of Missouri’s railroad building bonanza was published in Chicago in 1898 by George Cram. The double-page map presents a detailed overview of The Show-Me State’s network of iron rails, stretching from the Mississippi to the Missouri River. Fifty-eight different routes are shown in operation, each noted with a different color and labeled according to the legend on the left-hand side.

The discrepancy in numbering is likely due to the rapid process by which railroad consolidation occurred in the last quarter of the 19th century – having to re-number each line for every printing was too labor-intensive to be cost-effective.

Inset maps show details around the vicinity of St. Louis (upper right) and the southeastern tip of the state (lower left). A comprehensive index of place names from across the state can be found on the verso.