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This 1870 Colton map of Nebraska is a detailed, separately issued folding map that captures the state’s early development just four years after its admission to the Union in 1863.
The map documents Nebraska during a period of significant transformation, marked by the forced resettlement of Native American tribes and the expansion of railroads and agricultural settlements. The completion of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1869 played a pivotal role in shaping the state’s geography, as evidenced by its prominent depiction on this map.
The main portion of the map, colored by county, extends westward to Grand Island City and the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers. It follows a grid system of township surveys, reflecting systematic land division for settlement. Beyond this, the surveyed areas largely adhere to the Platte River corridor and the route of the Union Pacific Railroad, highlighting the central role of transportation in Nebraska’s expansion. Key settlements, including Fort Kearny (misspelled "Kearney" on the map), appear prominently, even though the fort was decommissioned the same year this map was published. Despite the mapped rivers, streams, and surveyed townships, settlements remain sparse, reinforcing the idea that much of the land was still open for agriculture and homesteading.
An inset map in the upper left corner provides a broader view of Nebraska within the context of neighboring states and territories. This comparison emphasizes Nebraska’s growing connectivity to the nation, particularly through the Missouri River and its alignment with the Union Pacific Railroad, which runs across the state.
G. W. & C. B. Colton was a prominent family firm of mapmakers who were leaders in the American map trade in the nineteenth century. The business was founded by Joseph Hutchins Colton (1800-1893). who bought copyrights to existing maps and oversaw their production. By the 1850s, their output had expanded to include original maps, guidebooks, atlases, and railroad maps. Joseph was succeeded by his sons, George Woolworth (1827-1901) and Charles B. Colton (1831-1916). The firm was renamed G. W. & C. B. Colton as a result. George is thought responsible for their best-known work, the General Atlas, originally published under that title in 1857. In 1898, the brothers merged their business and the firm became Colton, Ohman, & Co., which operated until 1901, when August R. Ohman took on the business alone and dropped the Colton name.
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