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Historical Travels: Steamboat/Steamship Route Maps

Reconstructing journeys from the past

Steamboats/Steamships

First boat built on the Western waters, 1812 NYPL Digital Collections Image ID 1158570 Similar to railways, steamboats/steamships allowed people to travel greater distances in a short amount of time, whether it was through local or international waters. Maps depicting the routes of steamboats/steamships are useful for understanding:

What ports and cities benefited from the rise of steamboat/steamship travel?
What routes did steamboats/steamships take, and why?
What natural elements might a traveler have to face, while on these boats?
What were the distances between ports?
What companies were running these steamboat/steamship routes?

Steamboat/steamship maps can answer these questions, and many more.

See below for a list of examples of steamboat/steamship maps that you can start your research with.

First boat built on the Western waters, 1812 NYPL Digital Collections Image ID 1158570

Catalog Tips

When searching the Online Research Catalog for road maps, in the Advanced Search, checkmark "Cartographic" under Format and type the following into the Keyword Field for most results. Adding in the area of interest to your search is not required:

Steamboats [area of interest]
- Example: S teamboats Europe
Steamships [area of interest]
- Example: S teamships Asia
Ocean Travel [area of interest]
- Example: Ocean Travel Pacific
- Example: Ocean Travel
Steam-navigation [area of interest]
- Example: Steam-navigation
- Example: Steam-navigation Virginia

For "steam-navigation," we do also recommend utilizing this search of "steam-navigation" without "Cartographic" check-marked. In doing so, you will be able to find a large number of primary and secondary resources that also cover the routes that these steamboats would have taken.

Example (without "Cartographic" check-marked): Steam-navigation
Example (without "Cartographic" check-marked): Steam-navigation New York

Please note that Steamship/steamboat routes are often also depicted on railroad maps, so we do recommend searching for these types of maps as well for a more complete search. You can find recommended tips on how to search for railroad maps via our Railroad Maps Tab.

In addition, when searching for maps of these routes, think about what bodies of water would have been nearby for these boats to traverse. This information will assist in your search, as you navigate our research catalogs.

A Selection of Global Steamboat Route Maps and Atlases

American Express : international banking, shipping, travel and trade / American Express. [192-]
- Map Div. 22-1957
Cunard line, Anchor line atlas of the world. [192-?]
- Map Div. (World) (Redfield-Downey-Odell Company, Inc., New York. Cunard line, Anchor line atlas of the world)
- Map of steamboat routes is on page 18-19.
Geographical and physical map of the world on Mercators projection shewing the British possessions ... all the existing steam navigation, the overland route to India, length of voyage and cost of passage, physical description and other information of serivce to emigrants. 1861
- Courtesy of UWM Libraries
The mercantile marine atlas : specially designed for merchant shippers, exporters, and ocean travellers. 1952
- Map Div.+++ (World) (Goodall, G. Mercantile marine atlas. 1952)
State, territorial and ocean guide book of the Pacific [electronic resource] : containing the time and distance tables, rates, fares, and freight tariff of all steamship, steamboat, railway, stage and express lines on or connecting with Pacific coast and the interior : including California, Oregon, Nevada, Washington, Idaho, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, British Columbia, Vancouver's Island, Central and South America, and Mexico : also, rates of postage to all parts of the world : time of arrival and departure of mails, etc. : to which is added nine large and accurate maps, showing principal towns, routes of communication, etc. 1865
- Electronic Resource: Full text online available from home with a valid library card and onsite at NYPL
Steamship Routes of the World. 1924
- Courtesy of David Rumsey Map collection
The world, on Mercator's projection. 1850
- Map Div. 02-237
- "Showing the different routes to California, and distance by each, routes of different navigators, route of the contemplated Pacific R. Road, distances to China, Europe, & c."

A Selection of non-Global Steamboat Route Maps and Atlases

Local and Country Maps
Continent and Region Maps

Bird's-eye view of the Eastern Railroad line to the White Mountains and Mt. Desert. [cartographic material]. [1880]
- Map Div. 15-5284
- Focus on the New England and Maine regions
Ensign's Travellers' guide and map of the United States : containing the roads, distances, steam boat and canal routes &c. / engraved on steel by J. Wells, Brooklyn, L.I. 1845
- Map Div. 00-479
Map of Long Island [cartographic material] : showing the Long Island Railroad system and Montauk Steam boat Co.'s lines.
- NYGB Map Div. 10-1256
Map of routes to the Sudan : adapted from Les Annales Ge̓ographie. [1891]
- Map Div. 22-1694
Map of the Lake Region, St. Lawrence Valley and surrounding country. [185-]
- Map Div. 01-5302
Taunton's pocket edition of the merchant's and shipper's guide map to the port of New York / [cartographic material] / S.D.L. Taunton. 1879
- Map Div. 08-8003
The travellers pocket map of Virginia : with its canals, rail-roads & distances from place to place along the stage roads / by H.S. Tanner ; engraved by W. Brose, Philadelphia. 1830.
- Map Div. 01-5375
- Side table includes steamboat distance tables, which lists the various ports during travel

Africa, its political divisions and commercial routes / Norris Peters Co., photo-litho., Washington, D.C. [189-]
- Map Div. 21-2947
Jancourt's railway and steamship tourist map of Europe and guide book to Europe. [1930]
- Map Div. (Europe) (Jancourt's railway and steamship tourist map of Europe)
[Transportation map of Europe] / North German Lloyd. 1926
- Map Div. 22-1977
Transportation routes between the United States and other American countries / L. Olszewski. [1899]
- Map Div. 15-5014
- Focus is on travel from the United States to Central and South America