Travellers’ Tour Through the United States (1822)

Traveller’s Tour Through the United States

Traveller’s Tour Through the United States is a board game that was published in 1822 by New York City bookseller F. & R. Lockwood. It is the earliest known geographic board game featuring the United States. Unlike other games, it was invented in the USA rather than being a copy of a British game, as many were at the time. The game was printed on a flexible wooden board that could be folded, and the object of the game was to give the names of cities and towns in the United States.

Why is Traveller’s Tour Through the United States Popular?

Traveller’s Tour Through the United States is significant because it is the first board game published in the United States. It is also notable for being a geographic board game featuring the United States, which was a relatively new country at the time. The game is popular among collectors of antique board games and Americana.

Game Components of Travellers’ Tour Through the United States

Map: A hand-colored map of the United States, including 139 municipalities from the Eastern Seaboard to the newly incorporated states of Missouri, Maine, and Arkansas.

Teetotum: A hybrid between a top and a die, used to determine the number of spaces a player can move.

Counters: Tokens or travelers that players move across the map.

Rule Book: Includes instructions and descriptions of each town and city, along with their populations.

Descriptions: Brief accounts of each town, highlighting institutions of learning, agricultural, commercial, historical, and cultural aspects.

How To Setup Travellers’ Tour Through the United States

To set up the game, players first lay out the map, which is mounted on linen and housed in an original orange paper slipcase. Each player chooses a counter or token. The teetotum is ready for use. The game does not require any complex setup beyond ensuring all players understand the rules and the objective of reaching New Orleans.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Game Start: Players begin in Washington and aim to reach New Orleans.

Teetotum Spin: Players spin the teetotum to determine how many spaces they can move.

Identify Locations: Players must correctly identify the town or city they land on to remain there. In an advanced version, they must also name the population.

Objective: The first player to reach New Orleans wins.

Player Experience

Playing **Travellers’ Tour Through the United States** is an educational and somewhat challenging experience. Players learn about various cities and towns across the early 19th-century United States, including their geographical, cultural, and historical significance. The game promotes the value of education by highlighting institutions of learning and other notable features of each locality. However, it also presents a sanitized version of the nation, omitting topics like slavery and the treatment of Native Americans.

Pros

Educational Value: Teaches geography, history, and cultural aspects of the early United States.

Unique Mechanics: Uses a teetotum instead of dice to avoid associations with gambling.

Historical Significance: Provides insights into the aspirations and self-image of the young American nation.

Cons

Limited Availability: The game is extremely rare, with only a few copies remaining in institutions and private archives.

Sanitized History: Omits critical historical issues such as slavery and the treatment of Native Americans.

Complexity: The game can be challenging, especially in the advanced version requiring population knowledge.

Personal Thoughts on Travellers’ Tour Through the United States

**Travellers’ Tour Through the United States** is a fascinating piece of American gaming history, offering a glimpse into how the young nation saw itself in the early 19th century. It is ideal for history enthusiasts, educators, and those interested in the evolution of board games. While it may not be a widely available or commercially successful game today, it remains an important artifact in the history of American board games. Its educational value and historical significance make it a unique and intriguing addition to any game collection or historical study.

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