Map of the Southwest Railway System, Chicago: Rand, McNally & Co., 1883, Map #93287, Map Collection, Archives and Records Program, Texas General Land Office, Austin, TX.

Map of the Southwest Railway System

This colorful pocket map of the United States, published by Rand McNally & Co. in 1883, shows the growing network of railroads throughout the country.

[left] Texas is shown as an intersection of the major rail lines of the country. [right] Although the map highlights the main rail lines through Texas, it also shows the importance of St. Louis, MO as a major transportation hub. The map’s also highly ornate compass rose is topped with a fleur-de-lis, perhaps as a throwback to St. Louis’ French past.

Special emphasis is given to the rail lines in the central and southwestern United States, including the Missouri Pacific; the Central Branch Union Pacific; the Missouri, Kansas and Texas; the Texas and Pacific; the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern; and the International and Great Northern railroads.

Railroad maps became increasingly popular in the decades following the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869.

The 1880s were the heyday for American railroads, as more and more rail lines linked the populous eastern United States with the west.

[left] The map highlights the rail lines that traversed Texas, including the Central Branch of the Union Pacific Railroad, as well as the Missouri Pacific; the Missouri, Kansas and Texas; the Texas and Pacific; the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern; and the International and Great Northern Railways. [right] Through these maps, railway companies promoted and advertised the different rail networks. The maps provided the passengers with detailed timetables, options, and transfer information for long haul routes. For example, a passenger could travel on the Iron Mountain Route of the Southern Pacific from San Francisco to St. Louis –via El Paso, Ft. Worth, Marshall, and Texarkana — on a Pullman Sleeping Car without changing cars between the two cities.

Different companies created these maps to promote and advertise the railway network and provide relevant information such as timetables (listed on the reverse) and information about coach changes on long haul routes.

This map is one of only a few found in the Archives of the Texas General Land Office that shows the entire railroad system of the United States.

A reproduction of this map can be purchased on the GLO website.