1859 Map of Wagon Routes in Utah Territory

Heirloom-quality 59" x 36" 1859 map of wagon routes in the Utah Territory - an area that encompassed present-day Utah as well as most of Nevada and parts of Colorado and Wyoming. The map extent stretches from San Francisco, CA on the west to the Green River on the east, and was compiled under the direction of the explorer and topographical engineering J.H. Simpson, for the War Department.

This is a truly outstanding map. Topography is beautifully-rendered with delicate hachure, and the map is packed with delightful details, including the names and locations of myriad mountain ranges, lakes, rivers and streams, springs, towns, wagon roads and routes, and other features. Locations and shapes of landforms are remarkably accurate given that Capt. Simpson completed all his surveying during two excursions in 1858 and 1859, when he was sent west during the US Army's Utah War campaign. Notably, Captain Simpson's central route surveyed across the Utah Territory was subsequently utilized by mail and stagecoach lines, the Pony Express, the Transcontinental Telegraph, and the Wells Fargo & Co. stage.

This is a wonderful map to get lost in. It's especially fun to see old names for places and features that have long since established a different identity. For example, Lake Tahoe is labeled 'Lake Bigler,' the name given to it by explorer John Calhoun Johnson after California's then-governor John Bigler. What is now Dayton, NV is labeled "China Town," likely reflecting the influx to the area of Chinese miners who were fleeing discriminatory mining taxes in California. The historical tidbits hidden in the map go on and on. Also of delight to cartophiles are the letters spelling "UNEXPLORED" across two large areas of Nevada's Basin & Range.

The map is printed on Arches BFK Rives 100% Cotton Rag paper, handmade at the Blanchet Frères & Kléber paper mill in Rives, France on a traditional cylinder paper mould. The subtle pattern of the paper fibers is faintly visible with oblique lighting, and lends a nice cloth-like appearance to the whole piece. Note that there is some darkening from aging of the original map on what was the fold in the center of the map, and a very small amount of detail is lost along the centerline. 

* NOTE: This is a carefully crafted print of the highest quality, but it is not the original work.

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