Map of the Great Lakes showing developments on the cartography of the mid18th century.

Bonne’s small map of the Great Lakes is a development of his predecessor Bellin’s map of the same region issued in 1757. Although Bonne follows some of the geography of the previous map, including the placement of mythical islands in Lake Superior, the outline of the Lakes has been substantially altered. This latest information is most likely to have been provided by missionaries and fur traders who continued to be active in the region, despite the loss of the area to the British after the Seven Years War.

The map further differs from Bellin’s small map by showing the surrounding region, particularly the latest exploration of the head of the Mississippi River. Of note is the plethora of native American names as well as the placement of European forts and settlements. One of the most interesting of these is the location of “Ft. Toronto” on the shores of Lake Ontario; although that is taken from the map by Bellin, it is one of the earliest cartographic references to the name.

An important map for anyone interested in the historical cartography of the Great Lakes region.

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