Rambles Through Our Country: An Instructive Geographical Game for the Young

As teachers prepare course materials for the upcoming school year, many will think of ways to combine fun with learning. One item from our collection that has proven attractive to many visiting teachers at the Library is the 1890 game Rambles Through Our Country- An Instructive Geographical Game for the Young.

The goal of the game is to help players become familiar with American geography and the treasures the United States has to offer. A player spins the “teetotum” and places their counter on the matching number on the map. Each number then corresponds to a location and description in the accompanying booklet. Fortunately, the booklet is available online from the Internet Archives!

Curious about what might be described for my home state of North Carolina, I took a look in the booklet and learned the etymology of the endearing term for its residents, “tar-heels,” and finally put legends to rest!

Pitch, tar, turpentine, and rosin are produced here in such quantities that the inhabitants of the State have been named “Tar-Heels.’ (page 90)

What can you learn about your home state? Can you identify every landmark on the map? And can anyone tell us what the dome-shape is in Florida’s panhandle?

Learn More:

• Find more fun and take a look back at a previous blog post on board games!
• Put the game in period context by taking a look at a sample of prints and photographic items of the United States during this period, 1880-1890.
• Take advantage of the Library’s map collections in the classroom!
• And see how the physical game, Rambles Through Our Country, was housed in a box with all its pieces, online at the New York Historical Society.