1869 Gaylord Watson Map of the Western United States

A visually striking large format 1869 map of the western United States by the New York map publisher Gaylord Watson. The map covers form Illinois and Mississippi to the Pacific. It offers a detailed breakdown of the transcontinental railroad system shortly after the driving of the Golden Spike on May 10, 1869, at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory. This is also one of the earliest maps to illustrate Wyoming after its official designation as a territory in 1868. To the left and right of the title are front and back illustrations of the Great Seal of the United States. In the upper right is a chart illustrating navigable mileage on western rivers, including the Mississippi, Illinois, Wabash, and Arkansas.

Publication History and Census

This map was published by Watson in New York. It appears to have been derived from an earlier United States wall map issued by Watson in 1867. The present example is nonetheless the first and only edition of the map thus. A note at the bottom adds a Chicago imprint of W. W. Wadsworth, 135 South Water Street. This is possibly a local agent representing Watson's work in Chicago. Very scarce to the market.