Sign In

- Or use -
Forgot Password Create Account
Description

No Direct Route To San Francisco?

Rare map of North America and the Atlantic, Canadian railway links and the coming Transcontinental Railroad across the Continent.

The map shows 5 prospective routes across North America:

  • Lake Superior to Vancouver
  • Chicago - Salt Lake - Columbia River
  • 3 Routes from Chicago to Southern California

While the California Routes follow the Sierra Nevada Mountains northwards and on to San Francisco, the obvious question in looking at the route is whether the maker was downplaying the convenience of access to San Francisco in favor of promoting Vancouver.

Prepared by Thomas Coltrin Keefer for the 1955 Paris Exposition Universelle to promote Canadian trade, the map promotes new Canadian ports as gateways to the railroad lines of North America and the future Transcontinental routes.

The map illustrates the hope that Canadian routes would help in the transformation of Canada from colony to nation. Includes an elevation profile map at at bottom shows "Johnson's Profile of the Northern Route for the Pacific Railroad from Lake Michigan to Vancouver Island, shewing relative Summits on other Routes."

Rarity

The map is rare on the market. This is the first example we have offered for sale.