The second supporting question, “what can maps tell us about what life was like in Dakota Territory?” helps students use sources to unwrap the context of the time and topic being examined. The series of maps presented here have been selected to provide insight into the process of changes wrought by human interaction with the land as well as changes in human occupation of the region. Complete the following task using the sources provided to build a context of the time period and topic being examined.
Formative Performance Task 2
Either working individually or in groups, have students study the featured sources A-G and discuss questions below. If working in groups, have students designate someone to take notes of the discussion and have each group report back to the class about what they found.
Featured Sources 2
Compare the information contained in each of these maps. How do they differ? Who created each of these maps? What do these sources tell us about early settlement of the region? Which railroad companies are building in the territory? Where are most of their rail lines located? Where are communities being established? Who is moving to the region, and where are they choosing to live? How many counties does the northern part of Dakota Territory have in 1884? Do all the county names correspond to modern county names? Do some parts of the state have more railroad track and more counties than other parts of the state? Can you explain the discrepancy? Comparing the Railroad and County map to the Statehood Map, how did railroad development change between 1884 and 1889? What do these maps indicate about the significance of the railroad to settlement on the Great Plains? Where are the reservations located, and have they changed in size since 1885? According to Colton’s 1885 map, where are most of the towns located? Why do you think that is? The 1889 statehood map was published by the Department of Immigration and Statistics. If you were planning to move to Dakota Territory in 1885, which features on this map would you consider most appealing? If it was distributed to people in Europe who were considering immigrating to North Dakota, what would they find appealing or useful? Have the counties changed in size, shape, or name since 1889? Compare these historic maps to modern maps available to you (either physically or online). Can you identify where modern features, such as cities and roads, would be located on the historic maps? How has the naming of different locations changed over time? What else can you find?
| Source A |
Johnson's Map of Dakota Territory (1861, 1862)
Source: SHSND 978.02 J66j 1862 This map was published by Johnson and Browning 1862 shortly after Dakota Territory was organized. It measures 14 by 18 inches. Alvin Johnson’s map shows the boundaries of the newly organized Dakota Territory which included at that time portions of the present states of Montana and Wyoming. Though the map shows numerous Indian tribes and their homelands, the new territorial capital at Yankton is not located on the map. Johnson’s eastern boundary of Dakota Territory is in the general area, but not quite tied to the Red River of the North. |
| Source B |
Northern Pacific Railroad Map (1871)
Source: SHSND 385 K692m 1871 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. |
| Source C |
Asher & Adam's Map of Dakota (1873)
Source: SHSND 978.402 A825a 1873 This map was drawn by cartographers working for the New York map publisher, Asher and Adams, which was very active in publishing maps and atlases in the 1860s and 1870s. This map, published in 1873, measures 17 ½ inches by 23 ¾ inches. Asher and Adams compiled this map twelve years after Dakota Territory was officially established. At that time, settlement still clung to the eastern edge of the territory, except for a small settlement at “the crossing” on the Missouri River named Edwinton, soon to be renamed Bismarck. Asher and Adams made railroad construction the focus of many of their maps. The Northern Pacific Railroad reached the Missouri River in June 1873. This 1873 map shows completed construction to Edwinton. The planned route to continue the Northern Pacific is shown with a plain line. Other railroads are concentrated in the southeastern corner of the territory near the capital city, Yankton. A couple of lines indicate planned routes for railroads that were not built. The details on this map show the extent of the land survey in northern Dakota Territory in 1873, and a few counties are identified. All the military posts are situated with the major exception of Fort Buford (along with the badlands and the western boundary of the state) which is located west of the western edge of this map. Topographical features can be seen, but unlike earlier maps were not emphasized by this company. |
| Source D |
Railroad and County Map of Dakota (1884)
Source: SHSND 978.402 C889r 1884 George F. Cram was both engraver and publisher of this 1884 map showing the economic development of Dakota Territory. It measures 29 ½ by 17 ½ inches. By 1884, the Northern Pacific Railroad (NPRR) had completed its route across the northern US. The Great Northern Railway, still known then as the St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba Railroad, had entered Dakota Territory, but had not yet completed its route to Minot. The NPRR had begun to extend spur lines to towns off its main line. North Dakota had not yet reached its peak in miles of track. |
| Source E |
Map of Indian Reservations in U.S. (1885)
Source: SHSND 973.00497 U5813m 1885 This map was drawn by Paul Brodie in 1885 for the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, John D. C. Atkins. Brodie’s map shows the size and shape of reservations of that time, most of which had been established by treaty between the United States Government (usually under the supervision of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs) and a particular tribe. The year 1885 might be described as the peak of the reservation era. By 1890, most Indian tribes had been relocated to reservations, typically against their will, and often in an area new to them rather than their traditional homelands. Though reservations were usually established by treaty which required the approval of the U. S. Senate, they could be closed or reduced in size by executive order of the President of the United States. Many reservations were also reduced under the provisions of the Dawes Act (General Allotment Act) which became law in 1887 and allowed the federal government to assign, or allot, parcels of land to individual Indian families and to open the remaining unallotted lands to settlers. |
| Source F |
Source: SHSND 978.402 G11c 1885 This map was created in 1885 by G. W. and C. B. Colton and Company. George Woolworth and Charles B. Colton succeeded their father as the best mapmakers in the United States during the 19th century. This map measures 14 ½ by 12 ¾ inches. Colton’s map is dated before the territory was split in two at statehood. It shows political boundaries as the territorial border, county lines, and township lines. Note the towns building approximately every 7 miles along the railroad line as designated by the railroad engineers. |
| Source G |
Source: SHSND 978.402 G11c 1885 This map was created in 1885 by G. W. and C. B. Colton and Company. George Woolworth and Charles B. Colton succeeded their father as the best mapmakers in the United States during the 19th century. This map measures 14 ½ by 12 ¾ inches. Colton’s map is dated before the territory was split in two at statehood. It shows political boundaries as the territorial border, county lines, and township lines. Note the towns building approximately every 7 miles along the railroad line as designated by the railroad engineers. |
