DC -- Library of Congress -- Exhibit: Mapping a Growing Nation: Western States:
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LOCMAP_191011_02.JPG: 1889: The State of Montana Enters the Union
In 1889, Montana, meaning "mountain," became the forty-first state to join the Union. Almost all of its land was included in the Louisiana Purchase. The discovery of gold in 1858 prompted settlement in the region. In 1876 the territory was the scene of a major battle between Native Americans and the U.S. Army's 7th Calvary, known as the Battle of the Little Bighorn, and to the Native Americans the Battle of the Greasy Grass, and it was later dubbed "Custer's Last Stand." The Indians, who vastly outnumbered the Cavalry, won the battle, killing not only Lieutenant General George Armstrong Custer (1839–1876), but reportedly every of the more than 250 officers and soldiers of the five companies that were with him. Only Custer's horse, Comanche, survived.
LOCMAP_191011_07.JPG: Oregon, the Thirty-third State
On February 14, 1859, Oregon officially entered the Union as the thirty-third state. The map shown here, entitled "A Diagram of Oregon," shows mountains, rivers, township and range layouts, and topographical features. Additionally, this is the very first map of the new state published in Salem, the state capital. Many of the place names, such as Salem, Portland, Springfield, and Oswego were named by settlers to honor the names of places they lived in the East, prior to settling in Oregon.
LOCMAP_191011_24.JPG: Map of the Gold Region in California
California, formerly known as Alta or Upper California to distinguish it from the Mexican state of Baja or Lower California, was admitted into the Union in 1850. It has the unique distinction of being the only state admitted into the Union without first holding territorial status.
One of the major reasons that California became the thirty-first state was the discovery of gold in 1848. "Sutters Fort," near Sutter's Mill where gold was first discovered, can be seen on this map along the river named "Rio Americanos" in Yolo County, west of San Francisco and Sacramento City, the future capital of the state.
LOCMAP_191011_32.JPG: Map of the State of Washington, 1889
On November 11, 1889, the same year that this map was published, Washington Territory was admitted to the Union as the forty-second state. It is the only state to be named after a president. An alternative name option was "Columbia" but it was felt that Columbia would sow confusion with the District of Columbia on the other side of the country.
LOCMAP_191011_42.JPG: The Newly Formed State of Colorado
Published by the firm of G. W. and C. B. Colton in 1878, on the 102nd anniversary of the United States' independence from Britain, this striking map shows the newly formed state of Colorado. Major cities, counties, townships, roads, rivers, and railroad lines are shown. Interestingly, the map shows two prime meridians: one measured west from Washington, D.C., and a second measured west from Greenwich, England.
In 1884, six years after this map was published, an international conference held in Washington, D.C., was convened to formally establish a single international prime meridian to be used worldwide and increase the accuracy of nautical charts, time zones, and railway timetables.
LOCMAP_191011_47.JPG: Utah, the Forty-fifth State
In January 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed legislation allowing Utah to enter the Union as the forty-fifth state after nearly fifty years of territorial status. The map shown here was published in 1895 and shows county boundaries, cities, topography, and rivers. According to notes on the map, it was designed for "the home, the office, and especially for Schools."
The map also shows the locations of minerals such as gold, silver, lead, and copper, as well as marble, sandstone, and petroleum deposits. The export value, according to "Wells Fargo and Co.'s Bank" for gold, silver, lead, and copper alone, was estimated at more than $6,000,000 in 1894.
LOCMAP_191011_61.JPG: Idaho Enters the Union in 1890
Published in 1896, six years after Idaho entered the Union, this map reflects the borders of the new state soon after it was carved out from the existing territories of Washington, Dakota, Utah, and Nebraska. Among the first non-Native American travelers were Meriwether Lewis and William Clark who from 1804–1805, traversed the state on their epic journey from St. Louis, Missouri, to the Columbia River. Settlement in later years was stimulated by gold prospecting, ranching, and farming.
LOCMAP_191011_70.JPG: Wyoming Becomes a State
On July 4, 1890, the territory of Wyoming entered the Union as the forty-fourth state. Almost thirty years prior, in 1868, the Wyoming Territory was formed from parts of Nebraska, Dakota, Idaho, and Utah. The advent of railroad transportation allowed Wyoming to become a ranching hub. Livestock were raised and grazed on Wyoming prairies and, when the time came, shipped off to market via rail.
Also in 1890, Wyoming became the first U.S. state to extend suffrage to women, thirty years prior to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment.
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Description of Subject Matter: Mapping a New Nation: Abel Buell’s Map of the United States, 1784
On September 3, 1783, American and British representatives signed the Treaty of Paris that formally concluded the American Revolution and recognized the United States as an independent nation. In March 1784, only six months later, Abel Buell (1742–1822), an engraver from Connecticut, produced his New and Correct Map of the United States of North America,which, among other things, has been recognized as the very first map of the newly independent United States compiled, printed, and published in America by an American. Additionally, the 1784 publication is the first map to be copyrighted in the United States, registered under the auspices of the Connecticut State Assembly.
Buell’s wall map, unusually large for an engraving at that time, contains a beautifully designed cartouche, rich in symbolism of the emerging new nation. However, the map, derived from other published sources, contains no original cartographic material. The other maps included in this exhibition may have served as sources for Buell’s 1784 map. Also on display is a map of the country by William McMurray, which is the second map published in the United States.
Abel Buell’s map documents a unique time when the social and political fabric binding the former British colonies was very fragile. Until the adoption of the U.S. Constitution in 1787, the federal government could not establish internal boundaries between the states nor force the surrender or sale of western lands claimed by some of the states under their original charters. As a result, many of the state boundaries on the 1784 map extend west from the Atlantic Coast to the Mississippi River; the western boundaries of Pennsylvania and Virginia are not formally established; and the final boundaries for the state of Connecticut had not been resolved.
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