Isaac Ingalls Stevens (March 25, 1818 – September 1, 1862) was an American military officer and politician. He served as governor of the Territory of Washington from 1853 to 1857, and later as its delegate to the United States House of Representatives; he was also Superintendent of Indian Affairs. He was a polarizing figure, whose tenure as governor overwhelms Washington's territorial history; accounts of him condemn or applaud. A New Englander, the diminutive Stevens graduated from Phillips Academy in 1833. He attended West Point, where he graduated at the top of his class. He became career military. He was adjutant of the Corps of Engineers during the Mexican-American War, performing with distinction in combat. He swiftly earned wartime promotions to Captain and Major, and received severe wounds in combat. He would in 1851 publish a book on his experiences during the war. Between 1841 and 1849 he was superintendent of fortifications on the New England coast, and was given command of the coast survey until 1853. His support of fellow Mexican War veteran Franklin Pierce led him to be rewarded by the new President Pierce by being made governor and Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the new Washington Territory. Stevens also undertook to use his travel west as an opportunity to survey a railroad route across the northern United States (he was an experienced engineer, although his connections with President Pierce and Secretary of War Jefferson Davis doubtless aided his bid.)He would publish the results of his survey in 1855. His governorship would prove controversial. Aggressive in diplomacy as well as war, he compelled Native American tribes of Washington Territory by both intimidation and force, and was not above forging signatures on treaties. His tenure resulted in the Treaties of Medicine Creek, Treaty of Hellgate, Treaty of Neah Bay, Treaty of Point Elliott, Point No Point Treaty, and Quinault Treaty. He imposed martial law to remove dissent from both the Indians and Whites who opposed his policies. He jailed opposing judges, and raised a private army - for which he was convicted for contempt of court, rebuked by the President of the United States. Despite opposition, he was popular enough among white settlers in the Territory to be elected as the territory's delegate to the United States Congress in 1857 and 1858. During the American Civil War, he held several Union commands and was - at the time of his death - under consideration for appointment to command the Army of Virginia. He was killed at the Battle of Chantilly, leading his men from the front, carrying the fallen colors of one of his regiments against Confederate positions. He was posthumously promoted to Major General. More by this mapmaker...

The Pacific Railroad Surveys (1853 - 1855) were established in 1853 with the goal of identifying the best possible routes for a transcontinental railroad from the Mississippi to the Pacific. The need for transcontinental railroad made itself evident shortly after the California Gold rush when the westward expansion was at its heights. The federal government, acting under the Sectary of War, Jefferson Davis (of Civil War fame), initiated a series of expeditions of the western territories. These expeditions included surveyors, cartographers, artists, zoologists, botanists and geographers. The resultant work, a 12 volume compendium entitled Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean eventually led to the constructions of several different transcontinental railroads. Learn More...

Napoleon Sarony (March 9, 1821 - November 9, 1896) was a dashingly handsome Canadian-American lithographer and publisher active in New York in the mid to late 19th century. Sarony was born in Quebec and emigrated to New York City in 1835. He apprenticed under Henry Robinson (fl. 1830/33 - 1850) before working as a lithograph artist for Nathaniel Currier (1813 - 1888). In 1846, he partnered with Currier's apprentice lithographer Henry B. Major to establish the firm of 'Sarony and Major.' From offices at 117 Futon Street, they published under this imprint until roughly 1853, when Sarony split off on his own under the imprint 'Sarony and Co.', still at 117 Fulton. At the time 'and Co.' probably meant Joseph Fairchild Knapp (1832 - 1891), Sarony's apprentice, and Richard C. Major, possibly Henry Major's son. In 1857, a new imprint was established as 'Sarony, Major and Knapp'. According to an advertisement in the New York Times (Feb 16, 1864), Sarony had invested in the business at founding, but was not an active partner, possibly because he was traveling in Europe. It is unclear why Sarony's name was maintained, possibly to capitalize on his fame, as a honorific, or possibly because he owned a major stake. They published under this imprint until 1863, becoming a major concern at 449 Broadway. Sarony's name was formally removed from the partnership in 1863. At the time he was traveling in Europe, mastering the most advanced color lithography and photographic techniques. He is known to have worked in France, Germany, and England. He returned to New York in the 1860s, establishing a photography company at 37 Union Square that became famous for its portraits of late-19th-century American theater icons. In 1891, Sarony, hoping to capitalize on Sarah Bernhardt's fame as 'Cleopatra', paid the stage actress 1,500 USD to sit for a photo session, the modern-day equivalent of 20,000 USD - suggesting a highly prosperous business. His son, Otto Sarony (1850–1903), continued the family business as a theater and film star photographer. As an aside, Sarony's second wife, Louie Sarony, was a known eccentric who would reportedly dress in elaborate rented costumes to walk around Washington Square each afternoon. Learn More...