1873 Wheeler Map of Northern Arizona and Environs, Grand Canyon Region

A beautifully chromolithographed geologic map of northern Arizona and environs, including the Grand Canyon, produced by the Wheeler Survey c. 1873 and published in the Topographical Atlas which summarized the survey's work.

A Closer Look

As the title indicates, coverage includes much of northern Arizona, along with parts of southwestern Utah. Vivid color illustrates different geological eras and layers according to a legend at right. Elevation, waterways (primarily the Colorado River and tributaries), and various other features such as springs, knolls, and recognizable rocks are indicated, including the Grand Canyon, very prominent on the lower half of the sheet. Trails used by the Navajo and Mormons are noted at right. Although settlement by Europeans and their descendants was limited in this region, several towns including St. George, Toquerville, and Virgin City (now just Virgin) appear in southern Utah.

The Wheeler Survey, 1872 - 1879

One of the 'Four Great Surveys' of the American West, the expedition led by U.S. Army officer George Montague Wheeler was tasked with creating geologic and topographic maps of the territory west of the 100th meridian at the scale of eight miles to one inch. Like the other three 'great surveys' that took place around the same time, led by Clarence King (Fortieth Parallel Survey), John Wesley Powell (Green and Colorado Rivers, including the Grand Canyon), and Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden (U.S. Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories, focusing on the Yellowstone Region), the Wheeler Survey collected a wide range of information on Native American cultures (including early photographs), flora, fauna, and other topics in addition to its surveying work. Veterans of these expeditions went on to illustrious careers in the military, geology, cartography, photography, painting, and other fields. In 1879, Congress formally merged these projects to create the U.S. Geological Survey.

Chromolithography

Chromolithography, sometimes called oleography, is a color lithographic technique developed in the mid-19th century. The process involved using multiple lithographic stones, one for each color, to yield a rich composite effect. Oftentimes, the process would start with a black basecoat upon which subsequent colors were layered. Some chromolithographs used 30 or more separate lithographic stones to achieve the desired product. Chromolithograph color could also be effectively blended for even more dramatic results. The process became extremely popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when it emerged as the dominant method of color printing. The vivid color chromolithography produced made it exceptionally effective for advertising and propaganda imagery.

Publication History and Census

This map was prepared by Grove Karl Gilbert, Arch R. Marvine, Edwin Eugene Howell, and George Montague Wheeler, based on surveys conducted in 1871 - 1873. It was lithographed by Weyss, Herman, and Lang, likely employees of Julius Bien, for publication in the work Topographical Atlas Projected to Illustrate United States Geographical Surveys West of the 100th Meridian of Longitude, published between 1876 and 1881. There are two highly similar printings of this map; one uncolored with explanatory notes in the bottom margin but without the information on rock layers and eras (Rumsey 2738.068) and the present chromolithographed printing. Regardless of printing, the map is independently cataloged by Brigham Young University, the University of New Mexico, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Princeton University, and the University of Michigan, while the entire Atlas is more widespread.