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December 16, 1847 | Newspaper
Mr. Whitney's Railroad
Asa Whitney's plans for a transcontinetal railroad were met alternately with scorn and acclaim. Whitney anticipated a United States as the central point for international trade; harbors on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts would be fed by rail lines criss-crossing the country, moving goods for import and export easily across country.
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April 15, 1856 | Broadsides
Broadside Publicizing the Town of Nevin, Iowa, April 15, 1856
This April 15, 1856 broadside details the benefits of the "New England Colony of Iowa," in the town of Nevin. This community, "consisting of persons from the New England States," has two railroads, a school, a hotel, and, of course, tracts of land and town lots for sale.
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February 14, 1863
Homestead Act
In this report of the Agricultural Committee to the House of Representatives, the importance of European immigration into the American West for the continued prosperity and growth of the nation is emphasized in a call for the establishment of an Emigration Bureau. Note the emphasis on the need for internal improvements (including the railroad) to facilitate the mobility of immigrants and agricultural products.
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January 1, 1872 | Letter
Letter from Henry Wilson, January 1, 1872
In this January 1, 1872 letter, Henry Wilson states that on the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad Company's lands in Iowa and Nebraska, "the class we most want is Farmers or Land buyers." In his estimation, the climate and environment are best suited for agriculture and the prospects for "persons dependent on their labor are not so good as in older States," which would make it difficult for them to succeed in America.
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January 5, 1872 | Letter
Letter from C. R. Schaller to A. E. Touzalin, January 5, 1872
In this January 5, 1872 letter from C. R. Schaller to A. E. Touzalin, Schaller outlines a plan to use London's conservative press to advertise the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad Company's lands in Nebraska.
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January 15, 1872 | Letter
Letter from Joseph E. Osborn to George S. Harris, January 15, 1872
In this January 15, 1872 letter from Joseph E. Osborn to George S. Harris, Osborn describes his efforts at recruiting European immigrants to Iowa and Nebraska in the United States. He expects a small number of immigrants this year, but hopes that the seeds he has sown will bear fruit in future years.
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February 5, 1872 | Letter
Letter from Joseph E. Osborn to George S. Harris, February 5, 1872
In this February 5, 1872 letter from Joseph E. Osborn to George S. Harris, Osborn reports on his work in Europe, publicizing the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad Company's lands in Iowa and Nebraska. He has printed 10,000 copies of a land brochure to be distributed in Denmark and Norway.
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February 15, 1872 | Letter
Letter from Joseph E. Osborn to George S. Harris, February 15, 1872
In this February 15, 1872 letter from Joseph E. Osborn to George S. Harris, Osborn describes the results of a business trip to Norway, in which he tried to find favorable rates of passage for Norwegian immigrants who have purchased Burlington and Missouri River Railroad land in Iowa and Nebraska.
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March 1, 1872 | Letter
Letter from C. R. Schaller to George S. Harris, March 1, 1872
In this March 1, 1872 letter from C. R. Schaller to George S. Harris, Schaller writes a letter of introduction for Mr. Louis McCandless of Moville, describing his intentions to start a colony and detailing his excellent work habits.
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April 19, 1872 | Letter
Letter from Joseph G. Osborn to George S. Harris, April 19, 1872
In this April 19, 1872 letter from Joseph E. Osborn to George S. Harris, Osborn describes the immigrants headed to Burlington and Missouri River Railroad lands in Nebraska and Iowa as being "as poor as church rats."
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1878 | Pamphlet
Burlington & Missouri Railroad Lands for Sale, 1878
This 1878 Burlington and Missouri Railroad publicity pamphlet provided information to potential settlers about land in Iowa and Nebraska. It featured information about land agents, land prices, social and cultural oportunities, potential crop yields, and other information to entice settlers to purchase railroad land.
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1918 | Book
My Ántonia
An excerpt from Willa Cather's My Ántonia.
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1925 | Map
Map Showing the Centers Of Population, 1790-1920
These two maps from the 1925 Statistical Atlas of the United States offer regional and national geographical representations of the changing centers of population in the United States from 1790 to 1920.
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1932 | Map
Federal Land Grants for the Construction of Railroads and Wagon Roads 1823-1871
This map from the 1932 Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States reveals the United States land grants available for the construction of railroads and wagon roads between 1823-1871. As the key indicates, dark lines represent the limits of the land grants, while white and striped areas differentiate between unforfeited and forfeited Federal land grants for railroads.
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1932 | Map
Railroads 1850 and 1860; Overland Mail, 1850-1869
These two maps from the 1932 Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States display overland mail routes and railroad lines in the United States during the mid-nineteenth century. The maps show the extent of railroads in 1850 and 1860 and overland mail from 1850 to 1869.
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1932 | Map
United States Railroads Lines, 1870
This map from the 1932 Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States displays the United States' railroad lines in 1870 as well as some of the major cities they connected.
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1932 | Map
Western Railroad Lines, 1880 and 1930
These two maps from the 1932 Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States depict the extent of western railroads in 1880 and 1930. They illustrate the tremendous growth of the railroad in the western United States during this fifty-year period.
