This session present four geographic information systems (GIS) case studies that explore different aspects of North America history, culture and technology between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries. Each paper delves into a unique facet and use of GIS, offering new perspectives on the interplay between human agency, and environment. Collectively they highlight the power of GIS applications in the study and teaching of history to uncover hidden connections and bring clarity to complex narratives, from American Civil War fossil fuel extractions, to technological innovations in communications and remote sensing, and the intricate nature of Indigenous language and territoriality.

The first paper, A Historical GIS of Organic-Industrial Assemblages: The American Civil War 1860-1865, explores how the United States’ growing coal industry, with its vast network of mines, railroads, factories, and military infrastructure, formed a series of Organic-Industrial Assemblages that linked theatres of war with sites of resource extraction that not only influenced the strategies and tactics of warfare in the Civil War but also laid the groundwork for the Industrial-Military Complex, which continues shaping global geopolitics and resource consumption into the twenty-first century.

The second paper, Wiring a Continent: Nineteenth-Century Telegraph Networks and the Shaping of North America, discusses how the United States rapidly developed a vast network of telegraph lines connecting urban centers, resource extraction sites, and transportation hubs. Using HGIS to analyze historical maps and documents, the paper shows how the telegraph was instrumental in consolidating territorial control and facilitating economic expansion across the continent. By tracing key telegraph projects and routes, the paper highlights the ways in which these nineteenth -century technological networks laid the foundation for today’s digital communications systems, including GIS, GPS, and AI-driven logistics.

The third paper, John Parr Snyder: Pioneer Of A New Age of Historical GIS, explores the life and contributions of Snyder, whose work in the 1970s revolutionized cartography with the Space Oblique Mercator (SOM) projection. By developing new methods for mapping the earth from space, Snyder laid the groundwork for modern GIS and remote sensing technologies, allowing geographers to produce more accurate representations of the earth’s surface and generate new insights into environmental and urban processes that continue to inform research to this day.

The final paper, Using GIS to Model Point-in-Time Maps of Historical Settlements and Territories of Indigenous Peoples, observes that traditional sources, such as the Smithsonian Institute’s Handbook of North American Indians, often organize information by individual tribes or nations, making it difficult to visualize broader patterns of territorial change. By presenting several examples from eighteenth century North America, this paper argues that GIS overcomes limitations by allowing researchers to create point-in-time maps depicting the locations of Indigenous groups at specific historical moments, not only providing a clearer understanding of historical Indigenous geographies but new opportunities for analyzing patterns of conflict, migration, and external influences. In conclusion, the papers in this session showcase how GIS can bring new clarity to the complexities of the past, enriching our understanding of historical processes and their lasting impacts.