Rufus Blanchard, Cabinet Map of the Western States and Territories on a Rectangular Projection (1868)

The Transcontinental Railroad was completed on May 10, 1869. Over the next decade there was rapid growth in the number of stations and towns along the railroad, as well as the completion of other lines to the north and the south of the main route. Published in 1869 and derived mostly from the 1868 U.S. General Land Office Map of the United States, this 1869 map by Rufus Blanchard shows complete lines, stops along the way, and locations of "gold silver and other minerals." There are also numerous rail lines under development and proposed, including lines from Cheyenne to Denver turning to the east to cross Kansas; a line from Gravelly Ford, Nevada south to Colville, Nevada; and numerous routes in California connecting Stockton, San Jose, and Fort Yuma bypassing the coast, including Los Angeles and San Diego. On the bottom left is, as the title states, a "Map Of The World Showing the Great Throughfare Between Europe & Asia Through the United States." The map illustrates the many routes along which people and goods would move throughout this period, transforming the landscape, settlement patterns, and economy of the West, and the United States as a whole.