The United States and Canadian railroad maps on this page are
from a late 1800s railway atlas used by shippers and railroad personnel. The stated
purpose of the atlas was to provide the "true location of all railroads, towns,
villages and post offices" for rail lines active in the United States and Canada at
that time.
In addition to showing the railroad routes in each state and province, the atlas
identified each town on the right of way that had a store, the population, number of
banks, telegraph stations, post offices (including those that could issue money orders)
and the express shipping companies with local offices.
Each railroad map also has a legend that identifies the names of the active
railroads. The railroad routes are color coded to easily identify their location on
the map.