One of the most interesting and attractive maps of the American West issued in Johnson’s Family Atlas from roughly 1860 to 1887. 

This map was first issued in the earliest Family Atlases and makes a makes a fascinating sequence in the development of the American West. It is remarkably detailed for settlements and early communities in the region; it also shows the telegraph cables, “Emigrant Roads”, mail and stage coach routes, the Pony Express trail, the railways as well as the Old Spanish Trail.
The series is also particularly interesting in following the border changes between the western States. Although this example is dated 1864 on the map, it is more likely to be c. 1870 or a little later. Part of this is due to the use of the “spirograph border” on the map which was used between 1870-1882. Furthermore, Utah is depicted with its north eastern corner now part of Wyoming. During this period, there was considerable tension between the Mormon community and the Washington establishment. Making this corner part of Wyoming gave the government a strategic advantage. It allowed much easier access to Utah through the Rocky Mountains. The area was also particularly rich in both logistics, with several important western routes running through it, as well as the natural resources of the Green River region. It was felt that this region was far too important to be left in the possession of a state which was lukewarm to the authority of Congress at best. This border change was enacted in 1868.

Another recent border change enacted a year earlier took place on the southern border of Nevada. Initially, Arizona’s northern border ran west until California’s eastern boundary. However, Nevada petitioned for access to the Colorado River for navigation and logistics purposes. This was granted in 1867. Arizona protested bitterly but as they had been a Confederate State during the American Civil War, their influence was at a low ebb. As a by product, this new southern acquisition shows the small settlement of Las Vegas.

Printed colour. [USA9543]