How to Use
the Map

Table of
Contents

Map 1: Railroads in Minnesota and North and South Dakota, 1890.

Map Key:
1. Red River of the North
2. Mississippi River
3. Minneapolis, MN
4. Duluth, MN

Questions for Map 1

1. Locate the Red River of the North (the border between Minnesota and North Dakota); the Mississippi River; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and the Great Lakes port of Duluth, Minnesota.

2. The broad valley of the Red River was not settled until the 1870s. It was flat, fertile, treeless, and with more rainfall than areas further west, well adapted to large-scale wheat farming. Why might these conditions be condusive to farming?

3. Why do you think there were so many railroad lines in the Red River Valley by 1890? What impact do you think this would have had on farming and flour milling? If needed, refer to Setting the Stage.

* The map on this screen has a resolution of 72 dots per inch (dpi), and therefore will print poorly. You can obtain a larger version of Map 1, but be aware that the file may take as much as 60 seconds to load with a 28.8K modem.