Category: mapping

Construction trades are essential for day-to-day life. Maybe you run a window replacement company. Or perhaps you dabble in any number of construction trades like water damage restoration, landscaping, pier foundation repair, mold remediation, inspection, removal, or roofing, among many others. Either way, you can attract more potential customers in need of your services with an informational map of your locations just like the one below.

View Water Damage Business locations in a full screen map

We’ll show you how to copy and paste your business locations onto a custom Google Map to inform and direct more visitors to your business website.

List Your Locations in a Spreadsheet

To get on your way to mapping your construction trade business (or any business with multiple locations), you’ll first need a spreadsheet. You’ll use this to gather the information you’ll later copy and paste into a mapping tool.

Whether you already use Excel, Google Sheets, or Numbers to keep track of your business locations or you want to create a new spreadsheet with just a few key data points, here are some tips on organizing your business information in preparation for mapping.

In the spreadsheet tool of your choice, you’ll want to add separate columns headers for your business’s geographical data like:

• Name (if not the same for all locations)
• Address
• City
• State
• Country
• Zip

After you fill in your information, you can include additional useful data columns specific to your business such as phone numbers or even images that become clickable pop-ups on your map, which we’ll cover next.

Copy and Paste Your Locations into a Mapping Tool

With your spreadsheet containing all the information you’d want potential customers to know, it’s time to move on to the next step: mapping.

There are multiple ways of mapping for free on the web, as mentioned in our Introduction to Map Making on the Web post. These include desktop GIS software, the Google Maps API, or web-based tools that create a no-code solution that uses Google’s API. With that last option, making a custom Google Map like the one below is as easy as copy-paste.

View Water Damage Business locations in a full screen map

Here’s how to do it yourself using our free tool:

1. Open your spreadsheet of business locations
2. Select (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A) and copy (Ctrl+C or Cmd+C) your data
3. Navigate to batchgeo.com in your web browser
4. Click on the location data box with the example data in it, then paste (Ctrl+V or Cmd+V) your own data
5. Check to ensure you have the proper location data columns available by clicking “Validate and Set Options”
6. Select the proper location column from each drop-down
7. Click “Make Map” and watch as the geocoder performs its process

More than the basics of information on your map, you can also add your website URL to the map, further promoting your services.

Direct More Visitors to Your Website

So far, you’ve successfully copied and pasted your spreadsheet of business locations and shared that information with potential customers visually. Take it one step further by pointing interested users who are already viewing your map to your site.

To add a link to your website in your map, right-click your map and select “Edit Map”. Add the following HTML <p class="has-line-data" data-line-start="0" data-line-end="1"><a href="YOUR WEBSITE LINK HERE">DESCRIPTION OF LINK</a></p> into the Description and then Save your map.

You can also seamlessly embed your map on your website and share it on social media.

Washington is the second most populous state on the West Coast of the United States—and one of the richest. More than that, The Evergreen State is rich in history. The 42nd state to be admitted to the Union on November 11th, 1889, the state is home to 54 official Washington state landmarks. In celebration of its birthday, we’re highlighting all of the landmarks in Washington: parks, memorials, and national monuments in Washington state on the map below.

View Washington Landmarks in a full screen map

Washington Landmarks’ Types

The 54 Washington state landmarks can be separated into eight categories (“Type” on the map). Let’s go over them now.

• Current National Historic Landmarks (24)
• National Natural Landmarks (18)
• National Historical Parks (4)
• National Monuments (3)
• National Historic Sites (2)
• National Memorials (1)
• National Historic Landmarks in the U.S. National Park System (1)
• Former National Historic Landmarks (1)

Twenty-four Washington landmarks are currently designated as nationally historical, in addition to one former national historic landmark that moved out of state. Structures, districts, objects, and similar resources nationwide are deemed as such if they meet the criteria of national significance, which includes locations with:

• a significant impact on American history overall
• an association with a nationally significant figure in American history
• a broad theme or trend in American history overall
• an architectural style or significant development in engineering
• a group of resources that together form a historic district
• nationally significant archeological information

The map also includes national natural landmarks, historical parks and sites, monuments, and memorials. With that in mind, let’s go over where most of these landmarks are located in The Evergreen State.

Seattle, Washington Landmarks

While Washington’s capital is Olympia, it’s home to few landmarks. However, another nearby city boasts multiple. Many travel to The Evergreen State to visit its largest city: Seattle. So let’s view some of the many Seattle, Washington landmarks.

• ADVENTURESS (Schooner)
• ARTHUR FOSS (Tug)
• Duwamish (Fireboat)
• Lightship No. 83 “SWIFTSURE”
• Panama Hotel
• Pioneer Building, Pergola, and Totem Pole
• Seattle Electric Company Georgetown Steam Plant
• Virginia V (Steamboat)
• W.T. Preston (Snagboat)
• USCGC Fir
• Klondike Gold Rush

The 11 landmarks above are (or were) all located around the Seattle area. One of the newest to be designated a national historic landmark (2006), the Panama Hotel was built in 1910 and holds the last remaining Japanese bathhouse (sento) in the U.S.

Another Seattle-based landmark is the Klondike Gold Rush. While most often associated with Alaska, Seattle’s Pioneer Square holds a park that tells the city’s history as a boomtown when prospectors passed through and bought their provisions.

Seven more of the Seattle, Washington landmarks are varying types of boats, six of which currently reside in the Emerald City: Duwamish and W.T. Preston in Salmon Bay, ADVENTURESS, ARTHUR FOSS, and SWIFTSURE in Lake Union, along with Virginia V in Elliott Bay.

Former Washington landmark USCGC Fir was the last working lighthouse tender to resupply lighthouses and lightships and service buoys. Its homeport was Seattle, Washington for 50 years until it was moved to California in 2002. Moving on, we’ll look at the age of these landmarks.

Oldest Landmarks in Washington State

Washington may have been established as a state on November 11th, 1889. But The Evergreen State’s oldest landmark was designated in 1936 (Whitman Mission) and the most recent addition was in 2015 (Medicine Creek Treaty signing site). Let’s take a look at the ten oldest and most recent Washington state landmarks on the table below.

Landmark	Year designated
Whitman Mission	1936
Fort Vancouver	1948
Lewis and Clark	1958
American and English Camps, San Juan Island	1961
Chinook Point	1961
Marmes Rockshelter	1964
Ginkgo Petrified Forest	1965
Grand Coulee	1965
Steptoe and Kamiak Buttes	1965
Nez Perce	1965

The table shows Washington state’s ten oldest designated landmarks, including the 138.53-acre Whitman Mission. In 1847, members of the Native American Cayuse tribe killed the Whitman family and 11 other settlers of the Oregon Trail. As a result, the U.S. annexed the land as the Oregon Territory, beginning the Cayuse War. The Whitman Mission National Historic Site was designated in 1936 to commemorate the challenges encountered when two cultures meet, the Whitmans, and their role in establishing the Oregon Trail.

The Whitman Mission is a part of the Oregon National Historic Trail, along with Fort Vancouver. The 206.72-acre reconstructed fort shows life in the Columbia District, where the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) had its northwest headquarters, operating the fur trade and overseeing vast territory from 1824 to 1845. The fort is joined by the house of HBC superintendent John McLoughlin in Oregon City, Oregon to form the entire landmark.

Nez Perce also has a foot in both Washington and Oregon (among many other sites). The National Historical Park has two sites in Washington to commemorate the history of the Nez Perce people (the Burial Site of Chief Joseph the Younger and Nez Perce Campsites at Nespelem).

To see all of the landmarks Washington shares with other states like Alaska, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Tennessee, and Oregon, sort the map by that desired group. Similarly, you can view the ten newest landmarks in The Evergreen State when you group by “Year designated” and opt for the “2015 – 2008” and “2006 – 1992” ranges.

You can also prepare for another state’s August birthday with a map of Hawaii’s landmarks. Or, for more general attractions, check out the World’s Largest Map of the World’s Largest Roadside Attractions.

The first interstate highway in the U.S. wasn’t created until 1940. But that doesn’t mean travelers didn’t want to cross state lines until then. Before even the first transcontinental railroad in 1869, migrants made their way from state to state on foot, horseback, and eventually in wagons. After years of traffic, trails formed like the Oregon Trail formed. Spanning from modern-day Missouri to Oregon, nearly 400,000 people used the nearly 3,000-mile Oregon Trail from 1830 to 1869.

We’ll check out the states and their sites along the Oregon Trail and how to measure the distance between the start and end points of the Oregon Trail with the help of the map below.

View Oregon Tail Map 1883 in a full screen map

Oregon Landmarks Along the Trail

The Oregon Trail was named for its western endpoint, which is also home to many of its 98 landmarks. However, notable trail sites aren’t only located in Oregon, as you’ll see on the map and the list below.

• Wyoming – 21 Oregon Trail sites
• Oregon – 17
• Nebraska – 16
• Missouri – 16
• Idaho – 14
• Kansas – 13
• Washington – 2

Even though Wyoming is home to the most Oregon Trail sites, we’ll focus on the sites located in the trail’s namesake. The 17 sites located in Oregon include six museums such as the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Oregon City and two parks: Birnie Park in La Grande and Celilo Park in The Dalles. There are also multiple overlooks, viewpoints, centers, and kiosks located throughout Oregon, among the many more types of trail sites in the six other states along the Oregon Trail.

Click around on the map to view the sites of the other states that are a part of the trail, including its easternmost sites in Missouri. Otherwise, stick around while we dive deeper into the Oregon Trail sites’ types.

Types of Sites Along the Oregon Trail

From historic sites to swales, there are many types of sites you can still see along the Oregon Trail. The 17 types depicted in the following table prove that no matter your interests, the Oregon Trail has something for everyone.

Oregon Trail Site Type	Number
Park	18
Museum	14
Historic Site	10
Swales or Ruts	6
Other Landmarks	6
House	6
Rest or Recreation Area	5
Overlook or Viewpoint	5
Landing, Crossing, or Pass	5
Center or Kiosk	5
Monument or Grave	4
Rock or Spring	3
Heritage Area or Trail	3
Station	2
Courthouse	2
Campground	2
Butte or Hill	2

Let’s take a look at some of the more common types.

Parks

The most common Oregon Trail sites are parks. Among the 18 located throughout the seven states of the trail are state parks, national parks, parks with springs, and even one park-and-marina.

Both the Ash Hollow State Historical Park and Fort Kearny State Historical Park are located along the trail in Nebraska. Meanwhile, Oregon Trail fans near Idaho can visit Massacre Rocks State Park or Three Island Crossing State Park.

Also in Idaho is the Oregon Trail Park and Marina. This park contains a lake that’s available for swimming and fishing. It’s also home to some original Oregon Trail wagon swales—sunken or marshy places.

Swales or Ruts

Alcove Spring Swales is one of the many Oregon Trail sites with its original swales or ruts still intact. Heavy wagon after heavy wagon (up to thousands) dug into the ground, creating ruts. These ruts were deepened and lengthened by wagons wet from river crossings, which made the ground muddy.

You can find these original indentations throughout many of the Oregon Trail sites, though the following six are known for them:

• Alcove Spring Swales (Kansas)
• Bedlam Ruts (Wyoming)
• Oregon Trail Ruts State Historic Site (Wyoming)
• National Historic Oregon Trail Center- Trail Ruts (Oregon)
• Oregon Trail Historic Reserve (Idaho)
• Wieduwilt Swales (Missouri)

Don’t miss your chance to learn about the other types of trail sites on the map above using map grouping. Now, let’s move on to distance.

Measure Distance Between Start and End Points

So where did the Oregon trail end? On one end of the Oregon Trail is the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center while Blue Mills marks the end on the other side.

Curious about the exact distance between these two points, or any two points on a map? Let’s take a look at how to break out your digital measuring tape and measure the distance between two markers on any BatchGeo map.

1. Open your BatchGeo map and select the measuring tool with a ruler icon, which is available to all BatchGeo Pro users
2. Click and hold where you want to begin a measurement (such as your starting point marker)
3. Drag the cursor to the end of your measurement (like the endpoint of the trail)
4. As you drag, you’ll see the current distance from the initial point to the current cursor
5. Switch between metric and imperial systems by clicking the scale on the bottom right of the map

According to our calculations, the Oregon Trail is 2,170 miles long. That’s nearly 500 miles shy of the length of the Pacific Crest Trail. For more mapping inspiration, also check out Mapping the Appalachian Trail: Landmarks and Milestones or even Route 66 Map: Historic Locations You Can Still Find.

Otherwise, get started start mapping and measuring the distance of the landmarks along your hiking favorite trails at batchgeo.com.