Mapping America's Past

[ole]

By Mark C. Carnes and John A. Garraty with Patrick Williams, Mapping America's Past (1996, Henry Holt and Company), this book is well worth a trip to the library if you like history and love maps.

It overviews the history of the continent from continental drift through today (well, 10 years ago). Indian immigration and settling patterns, languages, flora, rivers, railroads (including guages of each) and a section on the CW showing voting patterns, crops, et al.

Of particular interest was a map of Columbia, SC following Sherman's social call. It shows 7 locations destroyed by military action. Near only one of them were two buildings destroyed by fire.

The pattern of "buildings destroyed by fire" brings up some speculation. On what is now Main Street, from the University north for 10 blocks, every building was destroyed by fire, lending credence to the convention that burning cotton bales in the street caused the fire. The pattern of fires moves primarily east from there for four blocks and peters out, which supports the contention that burning tufts of wind-blown cotton started most fires -- if the wind was from the west.

It also raises a question: Why haul the cotton from where it was (presumably the industrial area near the river) to line it up on a street 9 blocks from the river?

This is a $50 book and I would guess you can't walk into B&N and find one. I got this one through Hamilton Books many years ago. I rediscovered it just yesterday and haven't been able to put down since.

If anyone expresses an interest, I'lll take it over to mobile_96 and have him scan it and post it.

Ole

[ole]

Amendment:

Just checked abebooks.com and found 61 offerings ranging from $7.03 (plus shipping) to $50 (optimist). Looks like you can get a fine copy for about $20.

Ole