Map of the Week #6 – Columbus, Ohio

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Map Showing the Great Coal Fields, Natural Gas Fields, Steam and Electric Railroads: and All Important Towns, Villages, and Streams Tributary to Columbus Within a Radius of 70 miles

The above map depicts the city of Columbus, Ohio in 1902 in an azimuthal projection with the center focused on the city of Columbus. This unique perspective includes a limited view of the region with a 70 mile range and highlights numerous gas and coal fields along with railroads connecting the region.

A notable location on the map includes the Hocking Coal Fields (southeast of Columbus) which includes New Straitsville, Ohio. This was the site of the 1884 coal miners strike where striking coal miners planned for their strike in Robinson’s Cave, and pushed burning coal cars into a coal mine owned by the New Straitsville Mining Company, setting the mine ablaze.

While not completed until 1903, the Columbus, Delaware, and Marion interurban electric railway is clearly depicted on this map.

There are several other interesting locations on this map. Feel free to share you favorites by including them in the comments for this blog post.

Map of the Week# 5 Chicago’s World Fair 1893

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Visitors map created on Rand McNally & Co’s. Map of Chicago 1890

The above map was modified to give visitors to the Worlds Columbian Exposition of 1893(A.K.A. The Worlds Fair) a guide to the city of Chicago and a subtle suggestion as to where to lodge, especially for the Christian visitors.

Notable locations on the map in regard to the Worlds Fair of 1893 are indicated by a red hashed area located in the southeast portion of the map. Details of the Columbian Visitors’ Association’s “South Shore” building and it’s location in relation to the World’s Fair Grounds are illuminated by an inset map set in Lake Michigan.

Above and Below: World’s Fair Grounds 1893


The “South Shore” Columbian Visitors Association

While not the primary focus of the map, many of Chicago’s Parks and Cemeteries are noted on the map in the color of green.

PARKS:
Some well known parks include Lincoln Park and Lake Park.


Left: Lincoln Park, Right: Lake Park

Lincoln Park originally served as a cemetery for the city beginning in 1843 and later became a city park in 1864. Attractions within this park include the Lincoln Park Zoo, a conservatory, and the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.

Lake Park, now known as Grant Park was officially named as a park in 1844. Grant Park contains and links many famous Chicago attractions and events. Most notable is the Buckingham Fountain pictured below.

Connected to Grant Park in the northwest corner is Millennium Park which hosts concerts and other events. Millennium Park is also the home of the sculpture Cloud Gate, affectionately referred to as “The Bean” by locals.

Institutions located within close proximity to Grant Park include:

Two of Jeff’s favorite events also take place at Grant Park:

  1. The Taste of Chicago – Usually around the week of the 4th of July.
  2. The Chicago Marathon – This year the start will take place October 11, 2009 at 7:30 a.m. Click here for the course map!

CEMETERIES:
Also noted on the map in the same shade of green as the parks are cemeteries within the city limits. These include:

Graceland Cemetery
Founded 1860


Oakwoods Cemetery
founded 1854

Rosehill Cemetery
founded 1859


Finally, there is one last feature on this map that I’d like to illuminate and share. The Union Stock Yards of Chicago, the source of inspiration for The Jungle published by Upton Sinclair in 1906.

Chicago has a long and interesting history, but this weeks map only provides a snap shot of the city in 1890. Hopefully I’ve covered some of the more interesting features, but I’m sure I’ve missed a multitude of fascinating stories and facts. Please feel free to take up where I’ve left off, there are many more parks, cemeteries, and places of interest left on the map to explore!

Did You Know? #12 We’re Famous!?

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The primary focus of our blog is to bring geography to our users in a fun and lighthearted fashion. Which, we hope you agree that we have. But some of you may be ready for more detailed coverage of the modern geospatial community. For those of you who want the most current news on cutting edge geospatial technology, and trends in geo-industry please visit our friends at:

“Veryspatial.com, Geography in Stereo“

Their website features Audio and Video Podcasts, and quick blog posts to elucidate their audience of tasty geography tidbits and fresh off the press geo-news. Outside the Neatline was very fortunate to be highlighted in their latest podcast in the Web Corner segment (episode #217). Please check it out! Thanks to Jesse, Sue, Frank and Barb!

Did You Know? #11 Cartography in the News

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Political views aside, the following video is entertaining and impressive! Minnesota Public Radio edited and posted this video of Senator Al Franken of Minnesota and it’s worth watching.

Pause the video and compare it the following map provided by National Geographics Xpeditions Atlas page:


Not too bad, how does your geographic knowledge stack up? Click on the picture below to see CNN’s reporter Jeanne Moos provides an entertaining overview of Al Frankens ability. Pay attention to when she asks “can you find New York on a map?”.


If you’re out of practice on naming your states we’ll provide you with some fun online games that will sharpen those rusty skills (Thanks to Veryspatial.com for listing the first 3 links in their excellent blog!):

  • Place the States – In this game you’ll place the state shape where it belongs.
  • Name the States – This game is a little less difficult, just place the state name where it belongs.
  • CIA Worldexplorer – This game covers world geography at various levels and asks you to choose a country based on facts given to you. Good Luck!
  • Maps.Com – This page contains many online map quizzes and map games for different regions around the globe.

Try this quiz from Maps.Com:
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If you need to study up beforehand, we recommend National Geographics Xpeditions web site. Here you will find a link to an Atlas, Lesson Plans and Activities.

TEACHERS!
We at Outside the Neatline would like to show of your students knowledge of geography and map drawing skills. We would like to see student submissions from elementary school students or classes so we can post their work for the mapping world to see! We will leave the submission date open so that we can highlight your students hard work throughout the year.

You can submit your cartographic masterpieces in one of two ways:

(1) as a digital image attached to an email sent to: jeffrey.dunn@uconn.edu

OR

(2) in the drawings original paper format in the mail addressed to:

Map and Geographic Information Center (MAGIC)
Homer Babbidge Library
369 Fairfieild Way, Unit 2005
University of Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut 06269-2005

Any questions or concerns can be answered by email at: jeffrey.dunn@uconn.edu Or by telephone at: (860) 486-4589

Map of the Week! #5 Sleeping Sickness in Africa 1909

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Okay, so maybe there’s two maps this week, but they’re closely related!


Map 1.) Skeletal Map of Tropical Africa Showing Distribution of Tsetse Flies


Map 2.) Skeletal Map of Tropical Africa Showing Distribution of Sleeping Sickness and Glossina Palpalis

Both of these maps were published in 1909 by the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain. Map 1 shows the spatial distribution of Tsetse flies which were discovered to be the vector for the disease sleeping sickness (African Trypanosomiasis).

Tsete flies (Genus Glossina) have several species that exist on the African continent. On Map 1 you can see that there are several species of Glossina listed. These species have slightly different habitats as shown below (click the links for modern day maps, how do they compare to the 1909 maps?):

There are many other species of tsetse flies, for a brief list, click here.

The actual parasite that the tsetse flies act as vectors for is the protozoa Trypanosoma brucei , more specifically African Trypanosomiasis.


Trypansomiasis can be a fatal disease that first causes the lymphnodes to swell, insomnia at night and fatigue by day (hence “sleeping sickness”). For a list of symptoms and stages of the illness click here. It was not until 1902-1903 that it was discovered by Sir David Bruce that the tsetse flies were the vector for this parasitic disease. This cognitive leap must have prompted the mapping of tsetse fly habitats and distribution to predict the occurrence of sleeping sickness and take initial steps in mitigating the disease. Turn of the century GIS!
Oh yeah, if you want some GIS data on tsetse fly distribution, check out this page sponsored by the FAO.

“Hooray for geography and hooray for maps!” I say!

Did You Know? #10 You can download NASA and USGS Data for Free?

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That you can download Landsat imagery for free? On August 17th the 1 millionth Landsat image was downloaded since the Landsat imagery archive was made available to the public last October in 2008 at no cost. The selected image was that of the Grand Canyon captured by the Landsat 5 sensor and can be seen below.

You can download your own images for use in GIS programs from:

The USGS GloVis is a fun way to preview imagery or browse the globe, but if you need lots of data for a specific area the USGS Earth Explorer will probably suit your needs a little better.

If you don’t really need GIS data for analysis but think the Earth is beautiful, check out Earth as Art from the Goddard Space Flight Center. Most of the images are captured by Landsat 7 and would dress up any room. Below is one of my favorites:

Can you guess the location?

Did you Know? #9 The changing geography of Connecticut through topographic maps.

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People often have the misconception that geographers and cartographers are not relevant because “everything has been mapped”. But the landscape is always changing! Here are some examples of significant changes in the state over the past century.

Click on the images to enlarge them.

Ocean Beach, New London: Prior to 1938, the maps show homes along with two bridges in the area. However, the hurricane of 1938 destroyed most of the homes and one of the bridges. The Ocean Beach Area was changed to a park after the hurricane, as seen in 1958 topographic map. See photographs of what Ocean Beach looked like in 1923 and now.

Ocean Beach in 1938

Ocean Beach in 1958

Downtown Hartford: In the early 1950s, Downtown Hartford looked very different without interstate highways going through the city. Interstate 84 was built along the city’s major rail lines. After the construction of I-84, much of the Park River, found near the state capitol and Bushnell Park, was diverted into underground channels.

Downtown Hartford in 1952

Downtown Hartford in 1984

Mansfield Hollow, Mansfield: Mansfield Hollow Dam was built in 1952 by the Army Corps of Engineers to control flooding in the area. The large reservoir was created by damming the Natchaug River, which flooded a swampy area known as Turnip Meadow.

Mansfield Hollow in 1943

Mansfield Hollow in 1984

The Mansfield Hollow Area is shown below

Map of the Week! #4 Paris from Charles V to Charles IX

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The title of this weeks featured map is:

Paris depuis Charles V jusqu’a Charles IX, d’après le plan de l’Abbaye St. Victor.
OR

Paris from Charles V to Charles IX, after the plan of the Abbey St. Victor.

That’s quite a long time period. In fact, the end of Charles V reign is dated at 1380 and the beginning of Charles the IX reign is dated at 1560. The additional information in the title referencing that it is after the plan of Abbey St. Victor gives us little help in narrowing down the dates of the map as the abbey was formed circa 1113. Also of note is that this map was published with the text “Tableau de Paris” By Louis-Sébastien Mercier in 1893. This is surely a later revised edition as Louis-Sébastien Mercier passed away in 1814.

To read an edition of this work look below to the embedded Google book. The edition is in French but if you copy the URL of the book and paste it in Google’s Translate tool you should be able to read it in English. (Tip: Set the text to “Plain Text” located in the upper right before translating)

Important features located on the map include Nostre Dame Cathedral now spelled Notre Dame:

St. Victor Abbey:

La Bastille, an icon of royal power that was stormed at the beginning of the French Revolution:

St. Eustache Cathedral with a pipe organ numbering ~8000 individual pipes rivaling the pipe organ in Notre Dame. For photos of St. Eustaches stained glass windows click here.



And Porte Saint-Denis, a fortified gate in the walls of old Paris.

Also for fun, see how many windmills you can find on the map here’s an example:

Did You Know? #8 Tracking Hurricane Bill

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You can track Hurricane Bill and other hurricane activity in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans at the National Weather Services‘ National Hurricane Center. You can also subscribe to a RSS feed that will automatically update you on changes in the storms status and provide you with GIS Shapefiles.

In 1938 A large hurricane made landfall in New England , visit the following resources for more information:

PBS
NOAA Coastal Services Interactive Map (GIS Data Download)
The University of Connecticut’s 1938 Hurricane Story
The Connecticut State Library 1938 Aerial Photos

Map of the Week! #3 Hartford in 1640 and 1893

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Today’s featured map was made in 1838 and shows landowners in Hartford in 1640, shortly after the city was founded. Initially, a pastor named Thomas Hooker led a group of about 100 people from Cambridge, Massachusetts to Connecticut to form a new colony. They chose present day Hartford as their new settlement site.

In 1639, government officials of Connecticut colony, including Thomas Hooker and John Haynes, created a document called the “Fundamental Orders of Connecticut.” It is arguably the first written constitution in Western society, and helped give Connecticut the nickname of “the Constitution State”. The document emphasized individual rights and democracy.

The second map comes from the Connecticut State Atlas in 1893. The 1893 street network in Hartford is generally the same as today, but the river going through the southern part of the city (called the Little River in the historic maps, now called the Park River) is completely removed from maps and aerial photographs today. So what happened to it? In the 1940s, the Army Corps of Engineers rerouted the river through underground concrete channels in an effort to control flooding in Downtown Hartford. Click below to view a recent New York Times article about the underground Park River.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/31/nyregion/paddling-hartford-s-scenic-sewer-abused-underground-river-up-close-noxious.html

The screen below shows the historic maps from 1640 and 1893, as well as recent aerial photos. Click the box that says “Famous Historical Residents” in the upper right of the screen to view where famous early Hartford residents lived in 1640.

List of landowners and corresponding land parcel numbers for 1640 map (click to enlarge):

To view the 1640 map in flickr, click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/uconnlibrariesmagic/3836896031/

To view the 1893 map in flickr, click here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/uconnlibrariesmagic/3837687450/

Links about the early settlers of Hartford:
http://www.hartfordhistory.net/faq.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Hartford,_Connecticut