COLTON, Joseph Hutchins (1800-1893).
Colton's Traveler and Tourist's Guide-Book Through the United States Of America and the Canadas.
New York: J. H. Colton, 1850.

Provenance: Contemporary penciled ownership inscription of W. S., Jane, Jas. Simonds on front pastedown.

12 mo., (6 x 4 inches). 2 lithograph maps on bank note paper with original hand-color in outline: "The Rail Road Routes between New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore & Washington"; "Colton's Map of the United States the Canadas &c. Rail Roads, Canals, & Stage Roads with Distances from Place to Place", with fine vignettes of the "Isthmus of Panama Showing the Routes of Travel between Chagres & Panama"; "Map of the United States Central America &c." "Map of New England and Eastern New York" (numerous separations at folds, some of which have been professionally repaired). Original red cloth gilt cloth (expertly rebacked preserving the original spine, corners strengthened).

First edition of a popular guide book that went through many editions. "Essentially same as the various handbooks listed under Smith, John Calvin. Includes material on California, Oregon and Texas, with overland routes, etc." (Howes). This is a fairly extensive guide book for the entire United States, despite the fact the map shows only about half the country. Colton includes discussions of the Oregon Territory, California, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas. The section on California enthusiastically describes the climate and the Gold Regions, followed by a table describing routes from Fort Leavenworth to San Diego, Independence to Sacramento via South Pass, Independence to Oregon City, and Council Bluffs to Salt Lake City. The Texas section has a brief (but rare) reference to the ghost town of "Zodeac" (actually Zodiac), a short-lived Mormon settlement founded by Lyman Wight's splinter sect that protested Brigham Young's leadership after Joseph Smith's death and went searching for Zion in Texas. The large map shows Texas to slightly west of San Antonio (the border of Texas is still shown as the Sabine River). Two of the inset maps relate to the California Gold Rush. The upper inset shows the proposed line of the Panama Railroad; and the second inset of the U.S. shows the "Gold Regions" in California and the two overland routes from Independence, the northern route going to San Francisco via Salt Lake City, and the southern route going to San Diego via Santa Fe.# 001623