Thing 25: Digital Map Collections

Digital Map Collections seem to be ubiquitous on the web. . .I checked out a few sites. . ."The American Memory" collection hosted by the Library of Congress is an excellent digital map repository for history teachers like me. . ."Railroad Maps: 1828-1900 is one of 11 collections at the website. . .I clicked on a 1866 railroad map of Alabama, which I would use to show how the lack of railroads hamstrung economic development in the post-Civil War south. . .Then I clicked on a map of railroads in Michigan at virtually the same time (1867)--the Jackson, Lansing, and Saginaw Railroad. . .The map showed the extensive network of railroads in the post-Civil War midwest, which stimulated economic development. . .This digital map collection can be utilized to make an essential point in U.S. economic history. . .I found another digital map collection at a truly outstanding repository of digital information: "The University of Chicago Library--Digiatal Activities and Collections". . .At this site, I discovered a great collection of digital data on the Ohio River Valley, 1750-1820 which included a collection of digital maps. This data was linked from "The American Memory Project of the Library of Congress. . .A plethora of information, with some amazing maps from the Revolutionary era. . .Highly recommended. . .Also, I took a sidetrack and went to the University of Chicago's "Archival Photofiles". . .As a fan of college football history, I searched for images of the legendary University of Chicago Maroons--a founding member of the Big Ten Conference, who deemphasized college football in 1939. . .Very few modern football fans know that the University of Chicago won or shared 7 Big Ten championships. . .Well, I was delighted to find a gameday photograph of their homefield, Stagg Field, in 1924--the last year the Maroons ruled the Big Ten. . .BTW, the first atomic chain reaction occurred under the grandstand of Stagg Field where much of the primary research of the Manhattan Project occurred as supervised by the Nobelist, Enrico Fermi. . .drfaust