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Arrival of the Transcontinental Railroad - Tacoma At The Beginning of the Boom of the 1890s

Rare separately published map of Tacoma and Environs, published by W.H. Whitney.  The map notes that was issued especially for George W. Traver.

The map shows the route of the Northern Pacific Rail Road, as it approaches Tacoma from the south, with its terminus at the south end of Puget Sound and Commencement Bay.  Along the waterfront are numerous waterfront businesses, including Wheat Warehouses, Coal Bunkers, Wharves, Docks, Canneries, Mills, etc.

Further south, are additional rail lines and the Aquaduct of the Tacoma Light & Power Company. The map shows dozens of subdivisions and the names of larger land owners.

The map is one of several maps published by WH Whitney in conjunction with the Union Pacific Railroad, which would in term be given to land agents working with the Union Pacific.  Because the maps were separately issued for promotional purposes and not generally offered for sale, they are now very rare.

Tacoma

The origins of Tacoma trace back to 1852 when Nicolas Delin, a Swede, established a water-powered sawmill near Commencement Bay. However, the nascent community was short-lived, as it was abandoned during the Indian War of 1855–56. A renewed wave of settlement occurred in 1864 when Job Carr, a Civil War veteran and land speculator, constructed Tacoma's first post office in a cabin in what became known as "Old Town." Carr aimed to capitalize on the potential selection of Commencement Bay as the terminus of the Transcontinental Railroad and sold much of his land to developer Morton M. McCarver.

Tacoma's incorporation on November 12, 1875, followed its designation in 1873 as the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad. The strategic choice was influenced by concerted lobbying efforts from McCarver, future mayor John Wilson Sprague, and other local advocates. However, the railroad chose to build its depot in New Tacoma, which lay two miles south of the Carr-McCarver development. The two communities subsequently merged on January 7, 1884, and by 1887, Tacoma became a crucial link in the transcontinental railway network. Its population consequently surged, from 1,098 in 1880 to 36,006 by 1890. 

Rarity

The map is very rare.  We note only 2 examples which have appeared at auction or in dealer catalogs reported by RBH or AMPR.