Fletcher W. Hewes & Henry Gannett, River Basins (1883)

Published in Scribner’s Statistical Atlas of the United States (1883) and created by Fletcher W. Hewes and Henry Gannett, this thematic map shows the major river basins of the United States, outlined in green. It is accompanied by a bar graph showing the land area of the principal drainage basins shown on the map. A river drainage basin is an area drained by a river and all of its tributaries. River basins are natural ecological units because what happens in one part of the basin, such as soil erosion, pollution, or flooding, directly impacts the health of the entire river system. In the late 19th century, understanding the river basin boundaries and river systems was critical for urban planning and westward expansion, including the management of drinking water supplies, transportation routes, and irrigation, and prevention of flooding and erosion. This map helps illustrate how geography helped influence migration, settlement, and economic growth in the United States during the nineteenth century.