| Notes | - Likely published by United States. Congress. Senate.
- Likely published 1852.
- Relief shown by hachures.
- Prime meridians: Washington and Greenwich.
- Issued with text: In the Senate of the United States, August 18, 1852, ordered to be printed, Mr. Borland made the following report : the Committee on Public Lands, to whom was referred the "memorial of Robert Mills, proposing a plan for a railroad and telegraphic communication with the Pacific Ocean," have had it under consideration, and report: ...
- "S. rep. com. no. 344, 1st. sess., 32d. Cong."
- Includes 2 profiles of the surveyed route: Independence to Reynosa -- Little Rock to the Pacific.
- Includes untitled world map centered on the Western Hemisphere below the following text: This map shews the position of our continent as compared with Europe and Africa on one side and Asia on the other, placing us in the centre of Europe 5000 miles from us, with a population of 250,000,000, and Asia on the other side, about 5000 miles from us, with a population of more than 700,000,000. The rail road across our continent will make us the centre and thoroughfare for both. Constructed by Whitney.
- [Even before the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo made manifest destiny a reality, there were proponents of a transcontinental railroad that would connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to ensure the economic and military security of the United States. This map, which was designed by Robert Mills (architect of the Washington Monument), depicts one such route, connecting Van Buren, Arkansas (at Fort Smith) to San Diego and San Francisco via a southern route through land that is now Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Eastern routes would connect the lines to major terminals at Chicago, St. Louis, New York, and New Orleans. In his map, Mills gave significant attention to territory that was still part of Mexico, some of which would be incorporated into the U.S. via the Gadsden Purchase of 1853 to facilitate creation of the southern route. But ultimately the first transcontinental railroad (completed in 1869) would take a more northerly route through Nebraska, Wyoming and Nevada, connecting points at Council Bluffs and Sacramento. Adjacent to the main map is an ancillary world map depicting the proposed route in relation to major international commercial routes, with a caption explaining how the railroad will benefit the economic vitality of North America. Profiles at the bottom depict the elevation of the route from Little Rock to San Diego. This map comes with the 17-page report including information about the proposed route and 2 distance tables.]--Edited description of Martin Wright Maps.
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