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A beautiful 19th-century map of Seattle showing the growth of the city's nascent road network.

The map shows Downtown Seattle in great detail, including block representing built-up areas. Lake Union is shown before the cut, though the possibility is hinted at with thin streams running between Salmon Bay, Lake Union, and Union Bay on Lake Washington. South of Seattle the following cities are named: West Seattle, Dwamish, Vanasselt, Columbia City, South Park. North of Seattle, Ballard, Boulevard, Ross, Fremont, Latona, Ravenna, Yessler, and Pontiac are shown.

The map differentiates itself from others of Seattle from the same time period by showcasing only roads and buildings that had been built to the exclusion of those that were planned. Two types of roads are highlighted in the legend "Good, or well travelled Road" and "Poor, or slightly travelled Road". Suburban railroads are also shown.

The map is beautiful for its clarity.

The Seattle Museum of History & Industry provides the following description of the map:

Redick H. McKee (1864-1949) was born in Louisiana and spent his childhood in Washington, D.C. As a young man, Mr. McKee entered the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and was sent to the Sierra Nevadas and other parts of California. In 1892, McKee established the USGS office in Seattle, and remained a resident of the city until his death.

The map pictured here, created by Redick McKee, is purportedly the first topographical map of Seattle, showing details of roads and graded streets, as well as the positions of principal dwellings and prominent buildings. A key identifies "Good, or well traveled" roads, "Poor or slightly traveled" roads, and the suburban railroad. McKee prepared many of the USGS's regional maps of the area.

The draughtsman for the map was F.M. Dehly and the printer was Lowman & Hanford Lithography.