Published in 1876 by arguably the most prolific and recognizable mapmaker Rand McNally, this depiction of Oregon illustrates the vital links the railways provided as centralizing and dispersement tools. By this time, Oregon’s robust rail system allowed Portland to thrive. The City was experiencing a time of great prosperity, and the accessibility of raw materials made investors clamor to build. Portland was home to nearly twenty-thousand residents near the close of the decade. Following the economic boom caused by the Oregon Gold Rush in the 1850s, the state was now primarily supported by the robust lumber industry. The ability to transport large timber from the region via the Willamette River allowed mills in Portland to process it into lumber, and the railroads would take it east to the heart of the country. This flourishing economy led to Portland’s enduring nickname “Stumptown.” While the rest of the state remained mostly agrarian, Portland had become a contemporary city and was rivaled only by San Francisco to the South. The City had suffered from a significant fire in 1873 that destroyed much of the downtown area. The fire resulted in a change to the building codes creating many steel structures that have come to define the distinct aesthetic of the City. Oregon found itself on the edge of modernity but still a rough and tumble western frontier in the 1870s. This distinctive map immediately transports the viewer back in time and is truly an authentic piece of cartographical history.
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