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Description

The Most Influential Commercial Map of Wyoming of the 19th Century

Nice example of 1888 edition of G.L. Holt's seminal early map of Wyoming, the most important separately issued map of Wyoming published in the 19th Century.

G.L. Holt's map is the earliest commerically published map of Wyoming to show the Territory in significant detail. Holt's maps were produced between 1883 and ca.1890. They show the development and settlement of Wyoming and include the location of some early ranches and trails.

Rumsey describes the map as an outstanding map full of interesting detail on all matter of subjects. Wheat states that students of early Wyoming history will sometimes find Holt their most helpful cartographic tool.

Holt advertised the map as the only reliable and accurate map of Wyoming ever published. The decorative vignettes show cattle ranching and early manufacturing scenes. One of the most important early Wyoming maps.

The map locates numerous ranches and private residences. It shows mineral deposits, mines, waterways, land grants, Indian reservations, telegraph lines, and railroads. The Union Pacific Railroad is shown as is a survey for the Central Pacific.

The Jackson Hole area is shown and named. At the time of the map, domestic animals were being introduced into the area, but the town of Jackson would not be formed until 1892. Eight counties are outlined in bright original color, and township and range boundaries are also indicated.

Because of the importance of Wyoming to the Northern Pacific Railroad, the NPRR purchased 100s of copies of the map, all of which were extensively annotated by its engineers.

Condition Description
Minor foxing and a few minor pin holes in the margins. Several minor tears, expertly repaired on verso.
G.W. & C.B. Colton Biography

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.