Map of the Gifts of Nature to America
This 1934 pictorial map was created by the Kellogg Company. The titular "Gifts of Nature" refers to agricultural plenty, but the map also depicts historical sites, industry, and Native American tribes. Also shown are railroad lines, migration routes, and recreation. Insets on both sides of the map, as well as near the Great Lakes, connect these "gifts" to the development of the Kelloggs Company. The narrative begins with Native Americans, then depicts the original home of Kelloggs, then moves on to facts about the company's industrial prowess as well as a picture of the enormous Kellogg plant. The trajectory of this narrative advances an argument for progress and success: white dominance, homegrown business, and industrialization.
This narrative is supported by imagery throughout the map, as when Native American tribes are represented by tomahawks. Additionally, large labels throughout the map define swathes of land by their agricultural output: "The Heart of the Corn Country," "The Land of Cotton," etc. This indicates that the land itself has a destiny: to support the American people (specifically, through their consumption of Kelloggs!). Interestingly, the only human forms depicted are those of cowboys in the southwest.
Of the maps in this collection, this is the one that advances the most explicit commercial argument.
Kellogg Company
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
Kellogg Company
1934
Nation (United States)
Map of America's Making, A Chart of Places and Events
<p>This pictorial map depicts the history of the United States, with history seeming to be defined as colonial activity -- or even more broadly, white history (although it does record the historical locations of several Native American tribes). It records historical events such as battles and colonial discoveries; historical locations such as white American settlements and the place where the sod breaking plod was invented. The illustrations are largely confined to state borders, with the exception of rivers and migration trails or army marches. The bottom of the map contains insets with expanded illustration and context for a number of regions and events, such as "The Frontier" and "The Declaration of Independence". The map also extends beyond the borders of the United States and points out the colonial events on several colonial islands, in Mexico, and Canada, as well as routes that colonial explorers followed. </p>
<p>Follow the words wrapping around the border and you'll see a quote from the Gettysburg Address. <iframe id="widgetPreview" style="border: 0px solid white;" src="http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/workspace/handleMediaPlayer?lunaMediaId=RUMSEY~8~1~281366~90053951&embedded=true&cic=RUMSEY%7E8%7E1&widgetFormat=javascript&widgetType=workspace&controls=1&nsip=1" frameborder="0" width="800" height="600"></iframe></p>
Paul M. Paine
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
1930
Nation (United States)