19th century travel maps
of the United States
Page 2

[ Pre-1840 | Ante-bellum maps | Post Civil War maps ]
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During the nineteenth century, folding travel maps were published for the use of wagon drivers, railroad passengers, and steamboat voyageurs in a new and rapidly developing country. These separately issued maps were sold to a huge population of Americans on the move. These maps usually focused on the travel nexus of roads, railroads, and steamboat routes, and they often displayed information on schedules, distances, and sometimes included inset maps of cities or smaller regions.

Go to home page on travel maps, with more history and other regions.

The following maps show the United States as a whole. These maps show the march of development from the east to the west as the United States expanded in the years just before and after the Civil War. The spread of railroads, the changing shapes of territories, the creep of settlements beyond the Mississippi, and many other features in the western expansion of the United States are graphically displayed in these wonderful historic documents.

Ante-bellum maps

Before 1840, most development in the United States was to just beyond the Mississippi River, with Missouri being the western-most civilized state. Beginning in 1841 a trickle of emigrants started west on the California and Oregon trails, and in 1843 the "Great Migration" of about 1,000 settlers set out for the west. The Oregon Territory was ceded to the United States by Britain in 1846, and California and the present-day southwestern U.S. were acquired from Mexico in 1848. When gold was found in California that year, the movement west became a flood, with about 25,000 emigrants west in 1849 and 44,000 the following year. 1851 saw a ebb in this flow, because of the cholera epidemic of the preceding year, but in 1852 the flood was back to about 50,000 individuals heading west.

J.H. Young. "Mitchell's Travellers Guide Through The United States. A Map of the Roads, Distances, Steam Boat & Canal Routes &c." Philadelphia: S.A. Mitchell, 1841. Separately issued, folding map. "Sold by Thomas, Cowperthwait & Co." 17 1/2 x 21 5/8. Engraving. Original outline hand color. With small hole in middle; expertly replaced and not noticeable. Some typical staining. Otherwise, very good condition.

A separately issued map of the United States issued by important Philadelphia publisher S. Augustus Mitchell. This striking and highly detailed map shows the U.S. extending from the Atlantic to the first tier of states past the Mississippi River. Included are seven insets of the vicinities of cities on the east coast and of Cincinnati and New Orleans. The original edition of this map was copyrighted in 1832, but as is typical of such separately issued maps, Mitchell updated his map regularly and this edition is updated to 1840. The canals and railroads are indicated with hand drawn lines in blue and red respectively. This information would, of course, have been crucial for the intended market of this map, the many "Travellers" on the move around the country at the time, many of whom were newly arrived immigrants. A highly decorative and historic artifact of America's past. $975

J.H. Young. "Mitchell's National Map of the American Republic or United States of North America." Philadelphia: S. Augustus Mitchell, 1843, copyright 1842. First edition. Separately issued, folding map. 24 1/2 x 33 3/4. Drawn by J.H. Young. Engraving by J.H. Brightly. Full original hand color. Together with "Maps of the Vicinities of Thirty-Two of the Principal Cities and Towns in the Union." Elaborate, gold stamped black leather covers. A few minor separations at folds. Overall, excellent condition.

This striking and highly detailed map shows the U.S. extending from the Atlantic to the eastern part of Texas and a very large Indian Territory. It is the first edition of a series of regularly updated "National Maps" issued by Mitchell. It seems that this map was mostly intended to be issued as a wall map, which explains its particularly strong appearance and the very clear depiction of towns and roads between them, each labeled with a distance on it. On the wall map version, the insets of the thirty-two cities surround the map; here they are printed together on a separate sheet that folds together with the main map into the booklet. Included are insets of northern Maine and the southern tip of Florida. In the lower right corner is a table with the populations of each county within the United States. The covers are quite elaborate, with gold stamped title and a brass clasp. Mitchell is one of the great names in American cartographer from the first half of the century and this is one of his most impressive publications. $1,850

Henry S. Tanner. "The Travellers Guide or Map of the Roads, Canals and Rail Roads of the United States. With the distances from place to place" New York, 1846. Folded into Tanner's American Traveller or Guide Through the United States With Maps Plans &c. (Philadelphia, 1844) Buckram covers. 144pp. and four small city maps. Large map of US: 18 1/2 x 22 1/4. Engraving. Full original hand color. With minor separations at folds. Otherwise, very good condition.

An fine example of Tanner's American Traveller guide book, containing four single fold city maps and a superior, large folding map of the United States. Tanner, a Philadelphia engraver and map publisher, was one of the leading figures in American cartography during the second decade of the nineteenth century. Tanner's guide book and its folding map were issued near the beginning of the "Great Migration" and when the influx of immigrants was in full flow. The guide book contains information on various travel routes throughout the country, regularly updated (this edition adds four pages of new routes). Included in the text are four, single fold city plans of Baltimore, Boston, New York and Philadelphia. Folded into the back is a larger map of the United States. The map extends from the east coast to Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana. Roads, rail routes, canals and steamboat routes are featured, with the distances between points noted--a most important feature for the traveler. Also of great use for the traveler is the series of inset maps in the lower right, showing the environs of major cities, such as Philadelphia, New York, Washington, with greater detail. $1,350

J.M. Atwood. "Map of North America, From The Latest Authorities." New York: J.H. Colton, 1852. Folding map, printed on banknote paper. 18 1/4 x 25. Lithograph. Very good condition. Cf. Wheat: 591.

A map that was issued in response to the California Gold Rush of 1849. With the discovery of gold in California, thousands of Americans and foreigners looked to head west. These travelers were in great need of guides and maps of the best routes to take and the places to go. In 1849 Fayette Robinson issued one of the earliest guidebooks, California and its Gold Regions, which was issued together with an excellent map of North America showing the various routes from the east coast to California. That maps was published by J.H. Colton, the major American map publisher of the period, who also issued the map as a separate sheet. According to the Streeter sale, this is the first map by Colton to show the gold fields. This is a edition of the same map from three years later, with a changed title and lacking the inset map of South America, though containing the important inset "Map of the gold Region, California." The main map shows North America with the major routes of the U.S. Mail marked on it from Independence, Missouri, to San Francisco and the gold regions, to San Diego, and to Walla Walla in the Oregon Territory. Also indicated are the steamer routes from New York to Panama, and then from Panama to California. A vignette scene of Pyramid Lake, taken from Frémont's report adds a nice decorative touch to this historically important map. $1,600

J. Calvin Smith. "Map of North America." Map folded into Congressional Directory for the first session of the Thirty-Second Congress of the United States of America. New York: J. Disturnell, 1852. Fourth issue. 21 x 18 5/8. Lithograph. Original hand color. A couple of color spills in left margin. Very good condition. With inset of California and the gold regions. Cf. Wheat: 692.

A clear and attractive map of North America that was issued in the Congressional Directory for 1852. This directory was given to each Congressman and contained all the information he would need, including this fine map that showed the current political situation in the country at the time. Much of the current interest at the time was focused on the west, and this map contains much relevant information. The territories of the day, Indian, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah, and Oregon, are clearly marked with as up-to-date topography as possible, and notes on the various Indian tribes. In 1852 the California gold rush was in full swing and Americans and foreigners were traveling to the west coast overland and by ship. Shipping routes are shown on this map, including those to California, and a list at the right enumerates the overland routes west. Also included on the map is a detailed inset of California, showing the gold region near Sacramento. As it provided the Congressmen with the summary picture of the United States within North America during their term, so too it provides us with the same picture a century and a half later. $1,600

Wellington Williams. "A New Map of the United States upon which are delineated its vast works of Internal communications, Routes across the Continent &c." Philadelphia: Lippincott, Grambo & Co., 1856. (Copyright 1855.) 24 1/2 x 29 3/8. Lithograph. Original outline hand color. Some typical small breaks at folds and in corners, and light stains. Expertly conserved and lined. Overall, very good condition and appearance.

A bright map drawn by Wellington Williams, "upon which are delineated its vast works of Internal communications, Routes across the Continent &c." With the large movement of emigrants to the west, many mapmakers in the east were issuing these folding maps. Williams issued his series about every year from 1851 at least through the year this edition was issued. These maps are some of the first to expand the primary region depicted further west than Missouri. Like other maps of the time (cf. map above), an inset of the western part of the continent, entitled "Map of California, Oregon, New Mexico, Utah &c.," is included in the lower right. However, the mail body of this map extends into Texas and other territories west of Arkansas, Missouri, and Iowa. Like other maps of its type, it shows road, canals and especially railroad lines throughout the country. Also indicated are the various western routes for emigrants. The western inset is also particularly good. Though on a reduced scale, this map is praised by Carl Wheat for its "much up-to-date information" from Fremont, Marcy, Wilkes, Emory, Abert, Johnston, Simpson, Whiting, and others. It shows a fascinating depiction of the territories west of the Mississippi with lots of impressive detail. In his series, Williams showed changing borders both on the large part of the map, where Kansas and the Indian Territory start to take on their modern shapes, and in the smaller inset "Map of California, Oregon, New Mexico, Utah &c." $1,350

J.L. Hazzard & I.S. Drake. "Mitchell's New Traveller's Guide Through The United States, Showing the Rail Roads, Canals, Stage Roads &c. With Distances From Place To Place." Philadelphia: Charles Desilver, 1860. Separately issued, folding map. 21 3/4 x 28 1/2. Lithograph by J.L. Hazzard & I.S. Drake. Bright hand color. With a few stains in the Carolinas and New Hampshire. Overall, very good condition.

A separately issued map of the United States issued by Philadelphia publisher Charles Desilver based on S. Augustus Mitchell's earlier maps. This bright and highly detail map shows the U.S. extending from the Atlantic to the first tier of states past the Mississippi River. Like other maps of its type, it focuses on roads and canals which are shown crisscrossing the country. This information would, of course, have been crucial for the intended market of this map, the many "Travellers" on the move around the country at the time. It is interesting that this map shows the United States on the eve of the Civil War. Also of particular interest is the inset which shows the "Marine and Overland Routes to California," which includes its own inset of the "Gold and Quicksilver District." This reflects the continued interest in the just over a decade old gold strike in California, a concern which would soon be overshadowed by the clouds of war. Included are three other insets: "Map of the Copper Mine Region" [in upper Michigan/Wisconsin], "Map of New England or Eastern States," and "Map of the Maritime And Overland Routes to California." $1,200

Post Civil War maps

The end of the Civil War was beginning of a renewed emigration west, this time not just to the west coast, but into the lands between the Mississippi and the Rockies. The first transcontinental railroad was opened in 1869, tying the country together from coast to coast and allowing for the rapid development of the lands of the Great Plains and the American southwest. Railroads continued to expand through the rest of the century, as the national landscape continued to fill in.

G. Woolworth Colton. "G. Woolworth Colton's Guide Map of the United States & Canada, with Railroads, Counties, etc." New York: G.W. Colton, 1863-64. 29 1/2 x 36 1/4. Lithograph. Original hand color. With insets: "The Southern Portion of Texas," "Plan of the Southern Portion of Florida" and "Western Portion of the United States." Folding map on banknote paper with original buckram case. With expert repairs at some folds. Overall, fine condition.

A graphic picture of the United States during the Civil War, this is a large folding map "Drawn, Engraved & Published by G. Woolworth Colton" in 1863-64. The main map shows as far west as the western parts of Texas, the Indian Territory, Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas. An inset in the lower right corner shows the rest of the United States, with another inset just above showing detail of the southern part of Florida and an inset to the left showing the southern part of Texas. The map shows much topography, including excellent detail of rivers, and the political situation of the time, including state and territory borders, counties, cities, and many towns. One of the primary purposes of the map, however, was to show the transportation nexus in the country and this is indicated with excellent detail. Roads are shown and particular attention is paid to railroads, especially the burgeoning network of lines in the Midwest. This is as fine a picture of the United States during this traumatic yet dynamic period as one can find, and this is a particularly nice example of the map. $1,800

"The United States of America, Including all its Newly Acquired Territory." Boston: National Publishing Company, 1902. 26 7/8 x 55 3/4. Color cerograph. Folding map in original buckram covers. Some wear along fold lines. Tear in right margin. Puncture at top edge. A few light spots on right margin and scattered in image; else, good condition.

A large, detailed map offering an informative snapshot of American expansion at the turn of the twentieth century. Through county-by-county delineations, population density is easy to trace: the tightly-packed county lines of eastern states spread out in the western Dakotas and remain sparse through little-settled states and territories of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains. Population tables (based on census data from 1900) confirm demographic information, including the populations of principal cities across the country. Along the bottom edge of the map, outlying territories, possessions, and protectorates are illustrated, including insets of the Philippine Islands, Alaska, Hawaii, Tutuila Island, Samoa, Guam, Wake Island, Howland Island and Baker Island, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. Printed on the heels of the Spanish-American War, this map illustrates the properties won in the treaty. By the second copyright date in 1902, American troops had quelled the post-war guerilla insurrection in the Philippines, and diplomats would soon secure exclusive influence in Cuba with the Platt Amendment (1903). With bold colors and detailed information, this map gives a fascinating picture of a young nation testing the limits of own territory and influence. $225