Preliminary Sketch of the Northern Pacific Rail Road: Exploration and Survey from St Paul to Rivière des Lacs, made in 1853-54

Cartographer: Isaac I. Stevens, Governor of Washington Territory and Chief of Party; compiled and drawn under his direction, 1855

Year: 1855

This early planning sheet traces Stevens’s reconnaissance northwest from St Paul through the Red River country to Rivière des Lacs on the northern Plains, the first leg of his proposed Northern Pacific line to Puget Sound. A bold diagonal shows the projected track, while lighter spurs record auxiliary scouting trips that assessed river crossings and timber belts. Sparse settlements, trading posts, and Dakota trails appear as tiny labels against wide blank spaces, underscoring the route’s remoteness. The map is framed by a detailed profile strip across the top that charts successive rises over prairie divides, Missouri Coteau ridges, and wooded moraines. Longitude and latitude grids help engineers compare gradients with other survey corridors printed in the Pacific Railroad Reports. Intended as a progress update for Congress, the sketch illustrates both the promise and the engineering unknowns facing a northern transcontinental railroad in the mid-1850s.