White Mountain Region of the Concord and Montreal Railroad

Uncommon pocket map showing “The Merrimack Valley Route”

During the 1820s and 1830s, the White Mountains emerged as a picturesque retreat for weary city-dwellers seeking respite from urban life, especially during the hot summer months. Drawn by the region’s dramatic scenery, artists and writers helped romanticize the mountainous region, further fueling interest among affluent tourists. By the conclusion of the Civil War, the arrival of the railroad and the construction of luxurious accommodations cemented the White Mountains as a popular destination, as it remains today.

This pocket map, issued near the end of the century, reflects the contemporary efforts to capitalize on public interest in the scenic area. It highlights the routes in operation of the Concord & Montreal Railroad, a short-lived company (1889 – 1894) that was ultimately purchased by the Boston & Maine in 1895. Company lines include the Mount Washington Cog Railway and make accessible other locations of interest such as Crawford Notch and the Mount Pleasant House. Mountains are depicted pictorially, with many peaks individually named.

The map was published in Boston by the Rand Avery Supply Company around 1890.

Source: New Hampshire History; Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library;