Got Mail? Mapping the Expansion of the Post Office Network (1700-1900)

Posted this one for my brother-in-law, who keeps the US mail moving "rain or shine" (thank you, Juan Carlos).

I recommend pausing the time series for the War of 1812 and the Civil War in 1862. It helped me gain a geographic perspective of our nation's expansion from its colonial beginnings.




Posted: Visualizing US expansion through post offices. from Derek Watkins on Vimeo.
This is a visualization of US expansion in North America from 1700 to 1900, seen through changes in the spatial distribution of post offices.

Data from the USPS Postmaster Finder, with lat/long coordinates extracted from placenames through correlation with the USGS Geographic Names Information System.