Antique Map of the Central United States, Chicago to Denver, Rand McNally, 1899

About this piece

An original antique map of the central United States from the 1899 Rand McNally indexed atlas, this double-page sheet is the firm's "New Commercial Map, Chicago to Denver", printed across pages 14 and 15 and covering the plains states in one continuous view.

The map runs from the Dakotas and Minnesota in the north down through Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois to Indian Territory, Arkansas and the northern edges of Texas and Louisiana at the foot of the sheet, each state or territory in its own pastel tint. The Standing Rock, Cheyenne River, Pine Ridge and Rosebud Indian reservations are named and outlined across South Dakota, still under federal rather than state administration at this date.

Indian Territory, in the lower center, is subdivided and labeled by the nations then grouped as the Five Civilized Tribes, the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw and Chickasaw, with the Kiowa, Comanche and Apache reservation further west, all drawn without the county grid given to the surrounding states, a plain cartographic marker of the territory's unincorporated status. The rail network thickens visibly towards the east and south, from the widely spaced lines of the Dakota plains to the dense mesh over Illinois and Missouri, while the Llano Estacado, or Staked Plains, of the Texas panhandle appear in the lower left corner largely empty of settlement. Its purpose was to give a single working view of rail and commercial geography across the whole corridor from Chicago to Denver.

Rand, McNally and Company, the Chicago firm that issued the 1899 indexed atlas, grew from the printing business William Rand started in the 1850s, later joined by Andrew McNally. By the 1890s it was among the leading map publishers in the United States, known for railroad and commercial maps revised with each new issue.

Technically the sheet is a lithograph with printed color: the outline was printed in black and the colors were printed over it, so none of the coloring was added by hand. Once framed, this antique map of the central United States makes a strong wall piece for a study, library or office, and it will appeal to collectors of American railroad and commercial cartography.

The sheet is in good condition for its age, with light age toning, a small dark mark in the upper left margin, a few faint spots and the original central fold as issued. Please review the images for further condition details.

This is an original antique map, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.