The second supporting question, “How did the railroads impact community development in North Dakota?” 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. They represent only a small portion of the map collection of the SHSND. 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-F and discuss the following questions. 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
Who created each of these maps? What do these sources tell us about early settlement of the region? Who are the people building the railroads? Where are communities being established? Who’s moving to the region, and where are they choosing to live? Compare the Asher and Adams map to earlier ones. Railroads had been crossing the continent for less than five years when this map was printed. What does this map indicate about the significance of the railroad to settlement on the Great Plains? Compare the Railroad and County map of 1884 to earlier maps. How many counties did the northern part of Dakota Territory have at this time? 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? Study Colton’s map. Where are most of the towns located? Why? If you were planning to move to Dakota in 1885 which features on this map would you consider most appealing? Where are the Indian reservations? Compare this map to the 1884 Railroad Map. How do the maps differ? Compare the 1994 map to the 1913 Railroad Commissioners’ Map. What parts of North Dakota no longer have railroad tracks? How does this compare with earlier maps of the state? Are the same areas underserved by rail, highways, and power lines? 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 |
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 B |
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 C |
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 D |
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 E |
Railroad Commissioner's Map (1913)
Source: SHSND Railroad Commissioners 385 N864r 1913 This map was published in 1913 by the Railroad Commissioners under the supervision of State Engineer, Jay Bliss. In 1905, the state of North Dakota had more miles of track per resident than any other state in the Union. Every small town that could build a grain elevator was likely to have a spur line to one of the five major railroads that crossed the state. These spurs were used to haul grain out of the region and possibly cream, eggs, and other fresh products if the town was large enough. The train might also bring mail and possibly carry a few passengers. In 1913, few towns in North Dakota were more than 50 miles from a rail line. In 1914, when World War I broke out in Europe, farmers and ranchers depended on these lines to take grain, cattle, and horses to markets where wartime need drove prices upward. |
| Source F |
Railroad Map of North Dakota (1994)
Source: SHSND PSC 385 N864r 1994 This map was published by the Public Service Commission in 1994 in conjunction with the North Dakota Wheat Commission and the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute. It measures 24 by 17 inches. It shows how the major economic changes of the 20th century affected the state’s railroads. Many lines have been abandoned and removed and others, tracks still in place, are no longer in use. Some spur lines are used only in late summer or fall to move grain crops to markets. Trucks have replaced trains as major transportation for small grains. |
