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A Unique Appearance of Tscherokier (Cherokee) Territory

This circa 1803 large-format map of North America provides a striking depiction of the continent, reflecting cartographic knowledge just after the Louisiana Purchase but prior to the explorations of Lewis and Clark.

Published under the auspices of the privilege granted by the Holy Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty, the map showcases the evolving European understanding of North American geography during the early 19th century.

The map accurately portrays the West Coast of America with post-Vancouver insights, displaying detailed coastlines from the Pacific Northwest down to California. However, the interior of the continent remains largely speculative, with limited information on the Rocky Mountains and only the Columbia River marked in the Pacific Northwest. Notably absent are the major river systems beyond the Columbia, indicating the map's publication before the more complete information that would come with the Lewis and Clark expedition and the reports of fur traders working for the Hudson Bay Company.

The depiction of the Mississippi River terminates within the Louisiana Province, reflecting the recent acquisition of this territory by the United States. The interior west features the names Quivira and Teguas, as well as notes about Free Indian Nations, but lacks any reference to the Great Salt Lake or other significant inland water bodies. The map includes early Spanish missions in California, reaching as far north as Santa Clara, and the Colorado River is roughly represented alongside an unnamed Gila River.  Notably, the discovery of San Francisco Bay is not yet shown.

A distinctive feature of this map is the extensive Tscherokier (Cherokee) Territory, located west of South Carolina—a unique depiction rarely seen on contemporary maps. The map also presents East and West Florida, with Tennessee illustrated with an unusual eastern boundary. Knoxville and New Madrid are noted, though Knoxville is inaccurately placed near the Mississippi River. Kentucky is outlined, featuring Lexington, while Ohio is mentioned without defined borders, replaced by a curiously named "Chelikotte" territory.

Overall, this map captures a transitional moment in American cartography, where the newly expanded United States began to assert its territorial claims while still grappling with incomplete geographic knowledge. It provides a fascinating glimpse into the early 19th-century European perspective on North America, reflecting both recent territorial changes and enduring uncertainties about the continent's vast interior. Not cataloged in Wheat, this map represents a rare and valuable artifact of early American exploration and expansion.