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Description

Rare separately issued promotional map of the Northern Pacific Railroad, lithographed by the National Railway Publication Company of Philadelphia.

This remarkable map depicts the United States north of the 35th parallel as well as most of Canada. The map shows the proposed route of the Northern Pacific from the Great Lakes to the Pacific Coast, along with numerous other "tributary" rail lines (completed, proposed and under construction), wagon roads and mail routes. A number of western forts are identified and much attention is given both to areas conducive to agriculture and to others offering opportunities for extraction of coal, copper, gold, quicksilver and silver.

One of the map's more curious features are the several isothermal lines arcing across the continent, identifying the agricultural regions. These isothermals were an aggressive part of the sales pitch for bonds promoted by railroad financier Jay Cooke. The idea was to persuade buyers that the route went through much more temperate climates and therefore, much more productive land than American investors might otherwise associate with Canada and the Northern Tier of the United States. In short, a "climate warm enough to ripen crops and secure the comfort of man and beast" was one of the principal "facts" behind "the need, the feasibility, and the assured success of this great enterprise." Jay Cooke & Co., The Northern Pacific Railroad: Its Route, Resources, Progress, and Business, page 4 (1871).

At the far right, the map includes a column of promotional text, describing "The New Northwest," "Climate," "Grades and Distances," "Connections," "The Land Grant," "Settlers and Emigrants" and "Investment Securities," then offered by Jay Cooke & Co.

Nearly Two Million Acres of choice farm and Timber lands in western and Central Minnesota are now read for sale and settlement (April, 1872) at low prices and on long credit . . .

The map may be equally interesting for what it doesn't show, namely the incredibly difficult route the Northern Pacific was to traverse through the Dakota Badlands, across the Continental Divide in Montana and over the Cascades in Washington. This, along with the Panic of 1873, largely explains why construction began in 1870 but was not complete until 1883.

The map shows a number of other railroad lines (completed and proposed), along with gold, quicksilver and other mining regions in Montana, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and Colorado. The Sierra Nevada Mountains are named "Sierra Delmonte Diablo," a relatively short-lived name for this mountain range.

Condition Description
Dissected and laid on line, with occasional loss at fold intersections.
Reference
Not in Modelski, Railroad Maps, but the map does appear in Phillips, List of Maps of America (p. 622). OCLC gives examples at UC-Berkeley, UT-Arlington and Montana State University only.