A great map of California and the large western territories from this important series of maps originating with Samuel Augustus Mitchell. The map is filled with early territory and county configurations, the exploration routes of Lewis and Clark, Fremont, Kearney and Cooke, and the Spanish and Oregon trails. Washington and Oregon have their eastern boundaries at the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains adjoining Nebraska Territory and show updated county structure compared to earlier editions. Their county development is confined to west of the Cascades except for the newly formed Skamania and Walla Walla counties. Utah Territory extends to Middle Park and Long's Peak in present-day Colorado where it borders Kansas and Nebraska Territory. Denver does not yet appear nor do any of the early mining settlements to the west, however St. Vrains Fort is located. New Mexico Territory encompasses parts of present-day Colorado and Arizona and shows the Gadsden Purchase border with Mexico. County development in California is well underway except in the south where the huge counties of San Diego and San Bernadino dominate. This issue shows the former Missouri Territory revised to Nebraska and Kansas. Although dated 1850 in the copyright, this map is from a late 1854 Desilver atlas. It retains the Thomas, Cowperthwait & Co. decorative rope borders in the characteristic green color.

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Condition: A

There are a few minor spots, a faint damp stain that just enters the border at bottom right, and light toning along the edges of the sheet.