**Originally Listed At $100**

"Colton’s Washington & Oregon", published by Johnson & Browning, 172 Williams Street, New York City, 1853. Colton’s hand-colored engraved map of Washington and Oregon is the earliest map of the region to appear in a commercial atlas. A fascinating piece of cartography, it includes early exploration routes (i.e. Lewis and Clark's pass and Clark's Fork of Colombia River), Indian tribes (i.e. Shoshones or Snakes, Klamath or Utuami, Punashli or Panacks), towns, lakes, rivers, mountains, and more. Interestingly, Fort Hall, the Three Tetons, Fremont's Peak, and South Pass all appear in Washington during this brief territorial period. Also fascinating is "Gov. Steven's Route and Line of Proposed Pacific R.R." What's more, army posts such as Fort Owen, Fort Okonagan, Fort Colvill, and Fort Boise are named, although the east is dominated by Indian lands. On the verso, is a text entitled, "The United States of Mexico". Certainly among the best early maps of the Northwest to appear in a commercial atlas, with especially interesting territorial configuration, surrounded by a lovely decorative border that is characteristic of this early period. Size: 17.375" W x 14.5" H (44.1 cm x 36.8 cm)

G. W. & C. B. Colton was a prominent family firm of mapmakers who would emerge as leaders in the American map trade during the 19th century. Joseph Hutchins Colton (American, 1800-1893) was its founder. A Massachusetts native, he did not start out in the map trade, but worked in a general store from 1816 to 1829. Later he was a night clerk at the US Post Office in Hartford, Connecticut. By 1830, he had moved to New York City where he set up his publishing business one year later. By 1850, the Colton firm was one of the primary publishers of guidebooks and immigrant and railroad maps, known for the high-quality steel plate engravings with decorative borders and hand watercolors as you see in this example.

Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#134545

Paper shows normal toning, a few slight stains, and minor losses to edges commensurate with age. Otherwise details are vivid and hand-coloring is strong. Inventory notes handwritten in pencil on lower right margin.