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C. 1908 Montana Railroad Map by Rand McNally Large

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:50.00 USD Estimated At:800.00 - 1,200.00 USD
C. 1908 Montana Railroad Map by Rand McNally Large
Featured in this lot is a rare, first issue "Railroad Commission Map of Montana" published by the Rand McNally Company in 1908. This is a large format, fold out map of Montana issued for the Railroad Commission. The map covers all of Montana and parts of the adjacent lands in considerable detail, naming towns, Indian Reservations, rivers, National Forests, battlegrounds, Indian Agencies, counties and railroads. Along the bottom, roughly 1,000 towns are identified and referenced. In the early years of the 20th century, Montana went through a boom of growth and development, largely coinciding with the arrival of railroads and the development of large-scale mining around Butte and elsewhere. The Montana Railroad Commission was established in 1907. The fold out map is large, but when folded up, it is concealed within the bindings of the book. The cover is bound with red cloth and shows gold gilt lettering reading, "Railroad Commission Map of Montana". The railroads identified are as follows: Northern Pacific Railway (Red), Great Northern Railway (Green), Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway (Orange), Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (Teal), Oregon Short Line Railroad (Purple), Montana, Wyoming and Southern Railroad (Dark Green), Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway (Brown), Gilmore and Pittsburg Railroad (Black), Montana Rapid Transit Company (Blue Dashes), Gallatin Valley Electric Railway (Blue), Montana Western Railway (Yellow), Yellowstone Park Railway (Grey). The map was published by the Rand McNally Company for the Montana Railroad Commission. The map has provenance connecting it to Captain J. L. Tucker, an influential in the early development of the Montana National Guard. The map and cover show good condition overall, with some toning on the original fold lines but no obvious signs of damage are present. When folded up, it measures 8 9/16" L x 6 1/4" W x 1" D, when unfolded it measures 40 1/2" L x 53" W.*