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Biggest U.S. Cities West of the Mississippi River in 1860 with a Map

With the help of a map, can you name the 100 most populous cities in the historical Trans-Mississippi area in 1860, shortly before the start on the construction of the first transcontinental railroad?
Click on the map to zoom in.
Sources used for population estimates listed in this Pastebin.
Some of these cities do not exist anymore.
Quiz by
Dekkie
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Last updated: April 4, 2025
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First submittedApril 4, 2025
Times taken257
Average score30.0%
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Population
State /
Territory
City
160,773
MO
St. Louis
56,802
CA
San Francisco
13,785
CA
Sacramento
13,000
IA
Dubuque
11,267
IA
Davenport
8,932
MO
St. Joseph
8,236
UT
Salt Lake City
8,235
TX
San Antonio
8,136
IA
Keokuk
7,429
KS
Leavenworth
7,307
TX
Galveston
6,706
IA
Burlington
6,505
MO
Hannibal
5,816
LA
Algiers
5,324
IA
Muscatine
5,214
IA
Iowa City
4,845
TX
Houston
4,749
CO
Denver
4,740
CA
Marysville
4,635
NM
Santa Fe
4,418
MO
Kansas City
4,393
IA
Oskaloosa
4,385
CA
Los Angeles
4,122
MO
Lexington
3,993
MO
Carondelet
3,965
IA
Des Moines
3,727
AR
Little Rock
3,679
CA
Stockton
3,530
IA
Mount Pleasant
3,494
TX
Austin
3,420
CA
San Jose
3,358
CA
Grass Valley
3,239
MO
St. Charles
3,164
MO
Independence
Population
State /
Territory
City
3,082
MO
Jefferson City
2,886
IA
Fort Madison
2,874
OR
Portland
2,744
CA
Nevada City
2,734
TX
Brownsville
2,663
MO
Cape Girardeau
2,616
KS
Atchison
2,596
MO
Boonville
2,564
MN
Minneapolis
2,466
CA
Placerville
2,464
MN
Winona
2,436
MO
Louisiana
2,429
CA
Oroville
2,420
NM
Mesilla
2,351
CA
Santa Barbara
2,345
NV
Virginia City
2,219
AR
Camden
2,190
LA
Shreveport
2,062
CA
Columbia
2,030
UT
Provo
2,011
IA
Council Bluffs
1,999
MO
Palmyra
1,989
IA
McGregor
1,986
TX
Victoria
1,960
CA
Sonora
1,938
TX
Palestine
1,922
NE
Nebraska City
1,883
NE
Omaha
1,830
IA
Cedar Rapids
1,810
MO
Weston
1,740
TX
New Braunfels
1,672
IA
Fairfield
1,663
LA
Plaquemine
Population
State /
Territory
City
1,653
MN
Hastings
1,645
KS
Lawrence
1,644
IA
Pella
1,640
NM
El Rancho
1,632
IA
Ottumwa
1,617
IA
Newton
1,612
NM
Fernando de Taos
1,551
AR
Helena
1,543
CA
Oakland
1,532
AR
Fort Smith
1,514
NM
Llano
1,496
MO
Canton
1,475
LA
Donaldsonville
1,464
UT
Ogden
1,461
LA
Alexandria
1,451
LA
Homer
1,448
IA
LeClaire
1,424
MN
Rochester
1,414
MO
Columbia
1,411
TX
Marshall
1,400
CA
Mokelumne Hill
1,396
AR
Pine Bluff
1,395
IA
Independence
1,380
LA
Thibodaux
1,367
IA
Marion
1,357
UT
Springville
1,327
CA
Yreka
1,300
CA
Georgetown
1,300
CA
Michigan Bluff
1,300
LA
Natchitoches
1,300
NM
Zuni Pueblo
1,288
MO
Liberty
1,281
MO
La Grange
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3 Comments
+2
Level 83
Apr 4, 2025
I seem to be the first to have taken it

Great map!

They really love that river

Nominated

+2
Level 55
Apr 4, 2025
Thanks! While rivers have always proven to be important for settlements to thrive, here the river is used as a historical reference point to the growing amount of American settlement to the west of it, which was still at its early stages at the time.
+1
Level 63
Jul 26, 2025
>1/2 of these are in the states bordering the river