U.S. Census Office, Proportion of Increase of Total Population, 1890 to 1900 (1903)

This map, published in the Statistical Atlas, 1900 and compiled by chief geography Henry Gannett, shows the proportion of the increase of total population--or the population growth rate--across the United States. Blue indicates a decrease in county population and four shades of brown indicate an increase in county population, with darker brown indicating greater population growth rates. The map demonstrates how continued westward migration in the last decade of the 1800s led populations west of the Mississippi River to increase at greater rates than much of the rest of country, though population growth rates elsewhere were still substantial. As Gannett wrote, "The map shows, in general, that those counties having the highest percentage of increase are found in the Northwest, Southwest, and Gulf states" (p. 40). Populations moved to the West in the latter half of the 19th century at such a rate that the populations of the American Bison went nearly extinct. Grasses and vegetation native to the Great Plains region were wiped out to make room for large fields of wheat or other farm goods, with railroads providing a way for these goods to be transported across the United States. With the high increase in White settlers, the force of the U.S. military, and drastic decrease of American Bison, Native Americans struggled to maintain their lands and way of life and were forced on to reservations dictated by the U.S. government.