United States, Northern Part

The Northeast and Midwest around 1840s.

This detailed map of the northern United States was published in 1842 by Adam and Charles Black as part of the 7th edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. A skillfully engraved image outlines a portion of the rapidly growing nation bordered roughly by the Missouri River in the west and the Ohio River in the south. Wisconsin and Iowa retain their territorial status, with the latter occupying a massive expanse stretching from Canada to Missouri. Scores of toponyms identify an interesting variety of settlements, fortifications, trading posts, geographic features, landmarks, and more.

Roads and canals are noted with cased and solid lines, respectively, while the fledgling railroad network is depicted with small, ladder-like tracks. Whether or not these projects were completed is a different matter entirely. Construction on the Illinois & Michigan Canal, for example, had stalled in the early 1840s and would not be complete until 1848. The system of forts is also misleading, with places like Ft. Calhoun and Ft. Armstrong having been fully abandoned at the time of publication.

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