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This 1913 map of Trinity County, published by Edward Denny & Co., provides a comprehensive and detailed representation of the county's geographical and administrative features.
The map is systematically divided into townships, each clearly marked with boundaries and designations, facilitating an easy understanding of the region's layout. It highlights various towns and settlements within Trinity County, including Weaverville, Hayfork, Junction City, Lewiston, and Trinity Center. Major rivers and creeks, such as the Trinity River, South Fork Trinity River, Hayfork Creek, New River, and Rattlesnake Creek, are prominently displayed, reflecting the county's rich water resources. The map also features significant mountain ranges and terrain variations, with key regions like Mount Eddy and the Yolla Bolly Mountains providing a sense of the county's topography.
In the northwest corner, the Hoopa Indian Reservation appears prominently marked.
Several mines and ranches are marked, indicating the economic activities prevalent in the area during this period. Notable mines include Blue Bird Mine, La Grange Mine, Midas Mine, and Rich Gulch Mine, alongside various ranches scattered throughout the county. Additionally, the map includes other natural features and landmarks, such as the Shasta-Trinity National Forest area, showing the extensive forested regions within the county. This map serves as a valuable historical document, offering insights into the early 20th-century geography and economic landscape of Trinity County.
Trinity County, located in northern California, has a rich history dating back to its establishment in 1850, the same year California became a state. The county was named after the Trinity River, which was itself named by Major Pierson B. Reading, who explored the area in 1845 and mistook the river for the Trinity River in Texas. The discovery of gold in the Trinity River in the early 1850s sparked a gold rush, drawing prospectors and settlers to the area. Weaverville, the county seat, quickly became a bustling mining town, and its Joss House, a Taoist temple built in 1874, remains a historical landmark.
Throughout the latter half of the 19th century, mining continued to be a significant part of the county's economy, with numerous gold mines operating in the region. However, as the easily accessible gold was exhausted, the economy began to diversify. Logging and ranching emerged as important industries, capitalizing on the county's abundant natural resources. The construction of the Oregon and California Railroad in the late 19th century improved transportation and accessibility, further boosting economic development.
By the early 20th century, Trinity County's population had stabilized, and its economy had shifted towards more sustainable activities such as agriculture, timber, and livestock. The establishment of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest helped preserve the natural environment while supporting the timber industry.
Blueprint & Blue Line maps (Cyanotype Printing)
Blueprint and blue line maps were among the most popular means for the swift printing of maps for which there would be a limited demand. A blueprint or blue line map could be made and/or revised much more quickly than a lithograph, cerograph, or other printing method, and at a much lower cost.
This method of printing was invented in 1842 by John Herschel, a chemist, astronomer, and photographer. A cyanotype process, one starts by drawing on semi-transparent paper, weighted down by a top sheet of paper. The paper would be coated with a photosensitive chemical mixture of potassium ferricyanogen and ferric ammonium citrate. The paper would then be exposed to light, wherein the exposed portions turned blue and the drawn lines, protected from exposure, would remain white.
The cyanotype printing process was an improvement on the expensive and time-consuming method of hand-tracing original documents. The technique was particularly popular with architects; by the 1890s, a blueprint was one-tenth the cost of a hand-traced reproduction. It could also be copied more quickly.
Blueprint and blue line maps began to appear as early as the 1850s and 1860s, but they really began to become the standard for mining and similar limited-purpose maps by the 1880s. The ability to create these maps quickly and at a low cost made them the standard for short-run prints, ideal for mapping mining regions in the West and for similar purposes.
The method still exists today, but in a very limited fashion. In the 1940s, diazo prints (whiteprints or bluelines) became more popular, as they were easier to read and faster to make. The blue lines on a white background of these prints are now what most people call blueprints.
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