Colton, G.W. "Nebraska"

G.W. Colton.  "Nebraska."

Philadelphia: O.W. Gray, 1876-77. 11 3/4 x 14 7/8. Lithograph. Original hand color. Very good condition.

An early map showing just Nebraska by itself, issued within a decade of statehood (1867). It was published by the Philadelphia firm of O.W. Gray which began its publishing around mid-century and issued regional and U.S. atlases up to the 1880s, first as O.W. Gray and then O.W. Gray & Son. This map is typical of their work, presenting the latest information available with clear and precise detail. Nebraska was well settled in the eastern parts and beginning to be developed along the Platte River, and these areas are shown broken into counties with towns, roads and railroads clearly depicted. The northwest corner of the state, the home of many Indian tribes, is left blank except for rivers. The land of Wheeler County, created in 1877 just north of Greeley County, is shown but not named. Also shown is "Garber County," whose creation by the legislature in 1875 was vetoed by Governor Silas Garber, for whom it was to be named, the area becoming the northeast corner of Custer County, created in 1877. A nice picture of the state entering the last quarter of the nineteenth century.