California, The Territories Of Oregon & Utah, And The Chief Part Of New Mexico Thomas, Cowperthwait And Co.

We are privileged to offer this map of California, The Territories of Oregon & Utah, and New Mexico, issued as part of S. Augustus Mitchells New Universal Atlas of 1851. Mitchell, one of America's premier mapmakers, published this atlas from 1846-1849. In 1850, Thomas, Cowperthwait and Co. purchased the copyright for this atlas. He enlarged the atlas to include more maps and also added the new features of a chromolithographed title page and contents page. The lithographed maps issued by Cowperthwait and Co. are what we consider the finest maps produced in this era of mapmaking. One of the reasons that these maps by Cowperthwait are exceptionally difficult to find is because of their short period of publication from 1850-1854. The copyright on this map shows H.N. Burroughs name in 1845. This is a beautiful, mid-century map of the expanding western part of the United States. After the Compromise of 1850, the newly acquired lands were divided by Congress into the state of California and two territories, Utah and New Mexico. This is one of the first maps to show the state of California and the new territories of Utah and New Mexico. Other important things to note - the Great Salt Lake is shown, and alongside it is 'Salt Lake City, Mormon Set.' This had just been settled in 1847. California's early settlements and roads are beginning to show up, and the Gold Region is delineated. The Oregon Trail is quite prominent on the map, stretching from present day Colorado, all the way Fort Vancouver and Oregon City. Washington Territory wasn't created until 1853, so Oregon Territory covers a very large expanse. This map measures 15.5 inches by 13 inches.