|
||
|
|
|
|
A highly detailed, large-format map of Arizona in its final decade as a U.S. territory, issued by the General Land Office (GLO) in 1903. This official federal production reflects the accelerating integration of Arizona into national land systems, economic infrastructure, and Indigenous policy during the early 20th century. It was compiled by Daniel O’Hare from survey records and other data, under the supervision of Frank Bond, one of the most influential figures in federal mapping at the turn of the century.
The map depicts Arizona’s county and land district boundaries, survey township grids, and major physical features with topographic hachures and labeled river systems. Particularly significant is the overlay of land categories in a complex color key: Indian Reservations (yellow), Forest Reserves (green), Military Reserves (red), and Private Land Grants (gray)—demonstrating the layered territorial governance that defined the American West before statehood.
Settlements such as Phoenix, Tucson, Prescott, and numerous mining towns are named, with roads and rail lines providing evidence of the region’s economic growth. At the bottom edge is an inset locating Arizona in relation to Sonora, Mexico.
The Salt River, Gila River, and White Mountain Apache reservations are prominently delineated, offering crucial insight into the territorial footprint of federal Indian policy. The map also documents the position of the U.S. Surveyor General’s Office in Phoenix and the Land Offices at Prescott and Tucson.
This edition captures Arizona in the midst of transformation: its population was surging due to mining, irrigation, and the Southern Pacific Railroad; tensions over water rights and Native sovereignty were sharpening; and statehood, achieved in 1912, was beginning to feel imminent.
States
The map is often encountered in smaller format versions. The wall map version is rare.
The General Land Office (GLO) refers to the independent agency in the United States that was in charge of public domain lands. Created in 1812, it assumed the responsibilities for public domain lands from the United States Department of the Treasury. The Treasury had overseen the survey of the Northwest Territory, but as more area was added to the United States, a new agency was necessary to survey the new lands.
Eventually, the GLO would be responsible for the surveying, platting, and sale of the majority of the land west of the Mississippi, with the exception of Texas. When the Secretary of the Interior was created in 1849, the GLO was placed under its authority. Until the creation of the Forest Service in 1905, the GLO also managed forest lands that had been removed from public domain. In additional to managing the fees and sales of land, the GLO produced maps and plans of the areas and plots they surveyed. In 1946, the GLO merged with the United States Grazing Service to become the Bureau of Land Management.
![[Original CDV of a Pima or Apache Child]](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/93107.jpg)
