Very fine large scale map of Washington Territory surveyed and published just after the Civil War. Laid on original linen.

At this stage, most of the public surveys had been made along the coastline of Admiralty Inlet and Puget Sound, along with much of the land west of the Sound. As well as the public surveys, the map also shows the burgeoning infrastructure of the Territory, including wagon roads, projected and existing railroads as well as the route of Governor Isaac Stevens’ famous Northern Pacific Railroad route. Gold is marked as present in Callam (Clallam) County, in the northwestern part of the Territory.

An interesting foot note is the presence of an area of land just east of Olympia, claimed by the Puget Sound Agricultural Company, a sister entity established by the Hudson Bay Company. Although the property was still outlined on this map, this land would be bought out by the United States government in 1869.

This particular example is unusual in that it has been coloured and backed on linen. Usually General Land Office maps, due to their status as government documents, were left black and white and were printed on thin, inexpensive paper. The special treatment accorded to this example suggests it may have had some promotional function; possibly as a show piece for a retailer of the maps or as part of the collection of an ambassadorial library abroad which could be used to encourage immigration into the United States.

Original colour. [USA9901]