A New Mapping of the West Immediately Following the Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad.
This military map of the United States drawn by Edward Freyhold in 1869 for the War Department's Office of the Chief of Engineers, and lithographed in four colors by Julius Bien, represents an important evolution in the cartography of the Western United States during the late 19th century by one of its greatest cartographers. Created shortly after the U.S. acquisition of Alaska and during the height of post-Civil War reconstruction, this map covers the entire continental United States, offering a detailed view of military roads, wagon routes, railways, post offices, and settlements.
The map’s scale of 1:5,000,000 allows it to provide a comprehensive overview of the U.S. while maintaining critical details relevant to military and logistical planners. The inset of Alaska in the lower left corner is one of the earliest large-scale military depictions of the region, emphasizing its strategic importance following the 1867 purchase from Russia. Freyhold’s work provides a snapshot of the rapidly evolving U.S. landscape, where settlement expansion and infrastructure development were key national priorities.
Based on the 1868 Warren-Freyhold Map?
Edward Freyhold’s 1869 map is often compared with the 1868 Warren-Freyhold map of the American West. Despite claims that the 1869 map is a simplified version of its predecessor, the two maps are, in fact, distinct in their depiction of the West, showing almost no commonality. See our listing for the 1858 edition of the Warren-Freyhold map for a reasonably comprehensive accounting of the latter map's history.
Freyhold's 1869 map significantly diverges from the 1868 map in its treatment of topography and the placement of settlements. Where the 1868 map presented a dense and detailed depiction of the West, Freyhold in 1869 opted for a more streamlined and simplified portrayal, but in many cases with more human geography. Notable changes include the complete overhaul in the depiction of towns, post offices, and other key locations. At the frontier's of Western mapping, in southern Utah and northwestern Arizona, which had been left largely blank in the 1868 map, Freyhold has populated in 1869 with speculative features, including a newly charted course for the Colorado River, evidently based on Freyhold's understanding of the course of Escalante's 1776 expedition, but not making use of Powell's ongoing explorations.
The placement of key settlements also differs significantly between the two maps. In the 1868 Warren-Freyhold map, Virginia City, Montana, is incorrectly positioned south of the 45th parallel, near the Wyoming-Montana border. Freyhold corrected this in 1869, placing Virginia City north of the line, as it should be. These and other adjustments demonstrate that the 1869 map was not a mere reduction but a completely new approach aimed at improving the geographic fidelity of the U.S. military's understanding of the western territories.
These distinctions suggest that Freyhold had embarked on a more refined cartographic project in 1869. His changes reflect updated geographic information, newer settlements, and, perhaps, evolving military priorities. While the Warren-Freyhold series continued to evolve after this point, with later editions appearing up to 1873, a new project was underway that would be fully realized in the rare and impressive 1879 Map of the Territory of the United States, West of the Mississippi River.
While it would stand to reason that Freyhold was using GLO information from the 1867 or the 1869 maps of the United States, an examination shows that they are based on different information altogether.
Rarity
Rare on the market; other than this copy, no other examples of the 1869 are recorded on RBH nor in OldMaps.com.
States
Rumsey has two variants, one like this (3850) and another with overprinting for the military districts (3849). Rumsey notes an 1870 issue. An 1870 was offered in the Peter Decker Sale at Parke Bernet in 1969.
Provenance
Rumsey 3849 and 3850. Wheat 1204.