With Colton Map of Indiana & Illinois Central Railway
Detailed prospectus and folding map for the Indiana & Illinois Central Railway.
The large map shows the railroad route in red outline color, with connecting railway lines in blue. At the time of this prospectus thirty miles of the rail, through Douglas County, Illinois, were built and already open.
Henry B. Hammond served as the president of the company. George M. Pullman of the Pullman Palace Car Co. was on the board of directors.
The Indiana & Illinois Central Railway, active around 1872, played a critical role in the development of the Midwest by facilitating the transportation of agricultural products, raw materials, and passengers between the two states. Serving as a vital link between Indiana's burgeoning industrial centers and the fertile farmlands of Illinois, the railway contributed to regional economic growth and the broader expansion of the American railroad network during a period of rapid industrialization. Its operations helped to integrate local economies, fostering greater connectivity and commerce in the post-Civil War era.
Rarity
Rare in the market. OCLC locates 12 examples.
G. W. & C. B. Colton was a prominent family firm of mapmakers who were leaders in the American map trade in the nineteenth century. The business was founded by Joseph Hutchins Colton (1800-1893) who bought copyrights to existing maps and oversaw their production. By the 1850s, their output had expanded to include original maps, guidebooks, atlases, and railroad maps. Joseph was succeeded by his sons, George Woolworth (1827-1901) and Charles B. Colton (1831-1916). The firm was renamed G. W. & C. B. Colton as a result. George is thought responsible for their best-known work, the General Atlas, originally published under that title in 1857. In 1898, the brothers merged their business and the firm became Colton, Ohman, & Co., which operated until 1901, when August R. Ohman took on the business alone and dropped the Colton name.