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1904 Van Loan Map of the Catskill Mountains, New York
CatskillsRoadMap-vanloan-1904$125.00
Title
Van Loan's Road Map of the Catskills and Vicinity.
1904 (dated) 25.5 x 23 in (64.77 x 58.42 cm) 1 : 221760
1904 (dated) 25.5 x 23 in (64.77 x 58.42 cm) 1 : 221760
Description
This is a 1904 Walton Van Loan map of the Catskill Mountains in New York. The map depicts the region from Canadarago Lake and Oneonta to the Hudson River and from Richfield Springs to Ellenville and James Point. Red overprinting highlights numerous roads throughout the region (likely routes promoted by Van Loan's Catskill Mountain Guide), and the red numbers provide distances along these routes. Innumerable rivers, streams, brooks, and creeks are illustrated and labeled, along with individual mountains, hills, and other physical features. Towns are labeled throughout, and post offices are identified. Several railroads traverse the region, including the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad; the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad; the Lackawanna Division of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company Railroad; and the Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley Railroad.
Verso Content
Wonderful content is present on the verso as well, reinforcing this piece's role to promote tourism in the Catskills. A bird's-eye view of the Catskill Mountains occupies the top third of the sheet. Towns, parks, mountain peaks, and many other places are labeled. A map in the center details summer resorts easily reached by 'day line steamers.' A short paragraph discusses cycling in the Catskills. During the late 1890s, nature tourism exploded in popularity, so likely this paragraph would have appealed to Van Loan's audience. A map of the region surrounding the Catskill Mountain House, the Hotel Kaaterskill, and Laurel House occupies the bottom third of the sheet. Text to the right and left promote the Catskills as cool retreat from the heat of summer.Publication History and Census
This piece was compiled by Walton Van Loan for publication with the 1904 edition of Van Loan's Catskill Mountain Guide. No examples of the 1904 edition are cataloged in OCLC; however, a handful of examples dating from both before and after the present map's year of publication are part of institutional collections.Cartographer
Walton Van Loan (January 8, 1834 - December 31, 1921) was an American publisher. Born in New York City to Matthew D. And Julia A. (Thompson) Van Loan, Walton's father was a famous daguerrotype artist. The elder Van Loan, whose father had been a mason and the captain of a passenger sloop between Catskill and New York, operated a 'revolving gallery' in the Delmonico Building and was the first American to have a daguerrotype business. Matthew D. Van Loan operated his business in New York from 1841 until 1851, then he moved to Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and, in 1856 at the time of his death, he was working in the custom-house in San Francisco. Walton Van Loan lived in Catskill until the age of twelve, when he began traveling with his father. At the age of thirteen he was awarded the position of page in the U.S. House of Representatives, a position he held from 1846 until 1850. He was paid sixty dollars a month in gold over these four years. Walton Van Loan traveled to California via Nicaragua in 1852 to join his father. Shortly after his arrival, he received a position in the custom house, possibly due to the letter of introduction from Daniel Webster in his possession. He did not stay at the custom house for long, taking a job as a clerk in a large bookstore. Van Loan worked there for four years before moving back to Catskill, where he bought a store, which he operated for twenty years. In 1878, Van Loan either closed or sold his store (the historical record does not say which is the case) and opened his publishing firm. This firm became a prolific publisher of maps and guides of the Catskills and earned a reputation as the most reliable authority on points concerning the geography and topography of the Catskills. Van Loan married Lucy Beach in 1874. More by this mapmaker...
Condition
Very good. Exhibits light wear along original fold lines. Some toning. Verso repair to a fold separation. Printed maps and advertising on verso.