Kansas Map 1883 State Print - Topeka, Wichita, Kansas City

George Franklin Cram issued this Kansas map in 1883 as part of his Unrivaled Family Atlas of the World, published in Chicago by A.C. Shewey & Co. It belongs to Cram's first mass-produced world atlas, a 65-map volume that helped bring detailed, affordable maps into American homes.

The map renders Kansas at a scale of roughly 1:2,200,000, printed in full and outline color with county boundaries clearly marked and relief indicated through hachures. Railroad lines cross the state prominently, reflecting their role in Kansas's rapid growth during this period, and the sheet shows the state's neighbors: Nebraska to the north, Colorado to the west, and the Indian Territory to the south. By 1883, the great cattle drives up from Texas along the Chisholm Trail were already fading as the railroads shown here pushed further south and made the long drive north unnecessary, closing out an era barely two decades old. Greenwich and Washington both appear as prime meridians.

A print like this suits anyone with Kansas roots, a Sunflower State transplant who wants a piece of home, or a collector chasing Cram's earliest atlas maps state by state. It ships unframed and is offered in multiple sizes, an easy choice for a housewarming, birthday, or anniversary gift.