1899 'Boston and Maine R.R. Map' of Maine and New Hampshire Hunting Resorts

This is a map of the lakes and mountains of Maine and New Hampshire, the hunting and fishing lodges serving them, and the railroads allowing access to them from Boston and other coastal cities. It was printed in 1899 as a promotion for the Boston and Maine Railroad.

A Closer Look

The map depicts the region from the White Mountains northeast to New Brunswick, with the Maine Central Railroad's route prominently marked. Less imposing lines illustrate the region's other railroads, including the Canadian Pacific Railroad and the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad. Maine's many lakes, such as Moosehead Lake, Chamberlain Lake, the Eagle Lakes, and Grand Lake, are illustrated and labeled, along with the region's many rivers. Houses, hotels, and other properties catering to outdoor sports enthusiasts are identified. An inset in the upper left promotes the railway network between Boston and Vanceboro, Maine, with spur service to the Mount Desert Island Ferry and numerous lines running through the White Mountains.

The Boston and Maine Railroad

Commonly known as the 'B and M', the Boston and Maine Railroad was chartered in New Hampshire on June 27, 1835. The firm consolidated several smaller companies, including the Andover and Haverhill Railroad and later the Boston and Portland Railroad. It merged with the Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts Railroad in 1842, but retained the Boston and Maine operating name. In the subsequent decades, it acquired or leased several other railroads, including the Boston and Lowell (1887), Northern (1884), Connecticut River (1893), Concord and Montreal (1887), and Fitchburg (1900). In 1910, it was acquired by J. P. Morgan and his New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. The firm initially prospered on the development of mill towns throughout New England and later capitalized on tourism from urban centers in Boston and New York. Nonetheless, the railroad went through a decline during the Great Depression when most of the old textile mills closed. Part of the Boston and Maine network remains in operation today under Pan Am Railways (PAS).

Publication History and Census

This map was created by the Rand Avery Supply Company and published by the Passenger Department of the Boston and Maine Railroad in the 1899 second edition of Boston and Maine Railroad. Summer Excursions to the White Mountains, Mount Desert, Montreal and Quebec, Winnepesaukee, Memphremagag, Rangleley and Moosehead Lakes, and the New England Beaches. Routes, Rates, Maps, Hotel and Boarding-House List, etc. A single example of the map is cataloged in OCLC, at Harvard University.