The Mathematical Visitor, a nineteenth century American mathematics journal, was published regularly  from 1878 to 1881 -- at an inflection point for the American mathematical community. This was the same year James Joseph Sylvester started the American Journal of Mathematics at Johns Hopkins University, an event recognized as marking the beginning of research mathematics in the United States. While the Mathematical Visitor is not new to researchers, it is often mentioned merely as a step in the evolution of American journals rather than as a significant journal in its own right. In fact, the Mathematical Visitor was never meant to produce research mathematics. The journal was instead an early effort at outreach by the country’s top mathematicians to cultivate mathematical interest and talent in an era when the country’s schools were not yet equipped for that task. Widening the scope in this way allows for a deeper understanding of this important time and also situates this research within a body of international historical research about the relationship between mathematicians and pre-college mathematics education.