Rand McNally & Co’s Virginia

Virginia’s railroads at the dawn of the 20th century.

This engaging map of Virginia was published in Chicago by Rand McNally in 1901. A finely detailed image labels a fascinating variety of locations; including settlements, geographic features, natural resources, local industries, and more. Topography is depicted in hachure, emphasizing the rugged terrain in the western half of the state. Numerous and ridges peaks in the Blue Ridge Mountains are named, though no elevation data is provided. An inset in the upper left shows the western region, including a portion of the Cumberland Mountains.

Red overprinting identifies the numerous railroad lines and their operators, labeled in the legend in the center-left. Such was the rate of consolidation among different companies that this second printing method was used to cut costs when updates were inevitably required. Thirty-four different lines are identified, providing an interesting snapshot of Old Dominion’s railroad network in the early 20th century.