The Pacific Railroad Surveys,
G. K. Warren and the Map that Changed America
A presentation based on this paper was given at the Western History Association Conference in Los Angeles, California on October 26, 2023.
Charged by a hopelessly deadlocked Congress to “determine the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi river to the Pacific,” the Army Corps of topographical Engineers fanned out across the trans-Mississippi West between 1853 and 1855 in the largest peacetime expeditionary force the United States had mounted prior to the Civil War. Unable to answer an essentially political question of where to route the railroad, the Pacific Railroad Survey expeditions, nevertheless played a crucial role in nineteenth Century expansion and settlement. The young Army cartographer assigned to the project, 2nd Lieut. G. K. Warren, is rightly recognized for compiling the first accurate comprehensive map of the trans-Mississippi West. Warren also displayed regions of occupation and control held by numerous Native American groups inhabiting the vast territory. His colorful “General Map” not only depicted a complicated physical geography but also a complex human landscape, twin topographies any railroad would have to navigate. Warren’s made three treks deep into Nebraska Territory between 1855 and 1857, informing his knowledge of both the topography and the indigenous people living there, transforming his legacy beyond cartography to creating a blueprint for expansion.
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The Pacific Railroad Surveys, G. K. Warren and the Map that Changed America