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Map of the country tributary to the Northern Pacific Railroad
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| Title | Map of the country tributary to the Northern Pacific Railroad |
| Date of Original | 1871 |
| Creator | Knight, E. H. (Edward H.)
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| Creator Role | Cartographer |
| Description | Map of northwest part of United States and southwest part of Canada showing relief by hachures, drainage, isotherms, the wheat region, cities and towns, forts, routes and trails, the railroad network and the proposed Northern Pacific Railroad. The line was constructed under an act of Congress approved by Abraham Lincoln, July 2, 1864. It was completed in 1883 and approximates the route of exploration taken by Lewis and Clark in 1804-06. |
| Ordering Information | http://www.history.nd.gov/archives/rscopypermission.html |
| General Subject | Maps, stamps and seals
Transportation
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| Subject (LCTGM) | Railroads
Wheat
Forts & fortifications
Cities & towns
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| Organization Name | Northern Pacific Railroad Company
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| Location | United States
Canada
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| Decade | 1870-1879
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| Item Number | Map 385 K692m 1871 |
| Format of Original | Maps
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| Dimensions of Original | 80 x 116 cm. |
| Notes | Scale ca. 1:3, 000, 000 |
| Relation | [Is Part Of] North Dakota History textbook materials |
| Biography/History | This map was compiled in 1871 by Edward H. Knight who used English, Canadian, and United States maps and surveys to identify the region of importance to the Northern Pacific Railroad (NPRR).
Knight's map was drawn before the NPRR had been completed. The dotted line is a rough plan for the route which would be adjusted by survey crews in the next couple of years.
In 1871, the rails reached Moorhead, Minnesota across the Red River from Fargo. Some track had been laid from the western end as well. Tracks reached the Missouri River at the small village of Edwinton (soon to become Bismarck) in June 1873. But in September 1873 the railroad's major financial backer, Jay Cooke and Company, shut down in part because of the excessive costs of constructing a railroad into the west. The closing of Cooke and Company led to a national economic panic. The NPRR did not resume construction until 1877 and then work proceeded slowly. The Missouri River presented a major obstacle for the company. For several years, ferries transported passengers and freight across the river, and in very cold winters when the ice was thick enough, rails were laid on the river's ice surface. A bridge was constructed across the Missouri in 1882.
Finally in September 1883 the tracks from east and west connected and the railroad's president, Henry Villard led hundreds of guests on four special trains to celebrate the completion. On the way west, he and his guests stopped at Bismarck, Dakota Territory, where he attended (for about 45 minutes) the dedication of the new territorial capitol. |
| Repository Institution | State Historical Society of North Dakota
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| Repository Collection | State Historical Society of North Dakota Map Collection
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| Credit Line | State Historical Society of North Dakota (Map 385 K692m 1871) |
| Rights Management | Copyright status unknown. |
| Language | English |
| Digital ID | shMap385K692m1871 |
| OCLC number | 51293601 |
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