1882 Weldin / Rand McNally Map of Pittsburgh

A large and colorful 1882 city plan or map of Pittsburgh and environs produced by J. R. Weldin and Rand McNally. It illustrates the city as it appeared during the 'Second Industrial Revolution', an economic boom driven by steel, chemicals, and other industries.

A Closer Look

Pittsburgh and its environs, including the independent municipality of Allegheny (City), are depicted, divided into wards. The development and industrialization is readily apparent with the proliferation of railroad lines and bridges across the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers. Along the outskirts of both cities, roads are marked out in the absence of buildings, indicating anticipated urban growth. The layout of the city is defined by its characteristic hills, reflected here even without a topographical referent by the density of certain areas versus others.

The Steel City Emerges

Building from the basis of Fort Pitt at the meeting of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers, Pittsburgh developed an association with metals manufacturing early on, especially brass, tin, and iron. Its location along the three rivers, especially the Ohio, also was a boon to commerce, allowing the easy transfer of goods. The arrival of railroads and the U.S. Civil War were important in boosting the city's development and growth into surrounding countryside (Allegheny City, here as a separate municipality, was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907).

Several of the leading American entrepreneurs of the late 19th century made their fortunes in the city, including the Mellon family, Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, Charles Schwab, and George Westinghouse. At the same time, the city became one of the mainstays of the American labor movement. The tension between capital and labor, combined with the economic fallout of the Panic of 1873, led to the Pittsburgh Railroad Strikes of 1877, one of the most violent incidents of labor unrest in American history.

Publication History and Census

This map was designed by J. R. Weldin and Co. and engraved by Rand McNally and Co. It is listed among the holdings of the University of Houston, the New York Public Library, and the National Library of Scotland, and has no known history on the market.