Sign In

One of the Earliest Detailed Maps of Northern California

Marvelous regional map, centered on San Francisco, extending to just south of Monterey and north to Cape San Sebastian, published by Philippe Vandermaelen in Brussels for his 1827 publication Atlas Universel de Geographie Physique, Politique, Statistique et Mineralogique. 

Vandermaelen's map is the earliest obtainable regional map to focus on the Northern California Coastline. The coastal mountain ranges are treated with remarkable detail for the period, with populations given for the few populated regions around the missions, including:

• San Francisco (820)
• San Jose (630)
• Santa Clara (1300?)
• Santa Cruz (440)
• San Juan Batiste (960)
• Monterey (700)
• La Soledad (570)

Over a dozen place names are given, including a note that the Rio Sacramento is navigable for another 50 leagues from the point shown.

From Vandermaelen's remarkable 6 volume atlas, which if combined as globe gores, forms an immense globe. Vandermaelen accomplished the first atlas mapping of the world on a uniform scale. His treatment of Western North America is a landmark in the history of the cartography of the western extent of the continent. 

Translation

An inset on the top right from German geographer, naturalist, and early traveler of North America Alexander von Humboldt describes the region as such:

 NEW CALIFORNIA. The part of the coast of the Great Ocean, which extends from the isthmus of Old California, or Bay of Todos los Santos (south of the port of San Diego) to Cape Mendocino, is named on the maps since the Spanish era as New California. It is a long and narrow stretch of land on which, for forty years, the Mexican government has established missions and military posts. There are no villages or even a single farm north of the port of Saint Francis, which is more than 78 leagues from Cape Mendocino. The province of New California, in its current state, is only 197 leagues long and about 10 leagues wide. The city of Mexico is in a straight line at the same distance from Philadelphia as from Monterey, which is the head of the missions of New California, and whose latitude is within four minutes of that of Cadiz. As much as the soil of Old California is arid and rocky, that of New is watered and fertile. It is one of the most picturesque countries one can see. The climate there is much milder than at the same latitude on the eastern coasts of the new continent. The sky is foggy, but the frequent fogs that make landing on the coasts of Monterey and San Francisco difficult give vigor to the vegetation and fertilize the soil, which is covered with black and spongy humus. In the eighteen missions that exist today in New California, wheat, corn, and beans (frijoles) are abundantly cultivated. Barley, vetches, lentils, and chickpeas (garbanzos) grow very well in most parts of the province, amid the fields. Since the thirty-six Franciscan religious who govern these missions are all Europeans, they have introduced with particular care, into the gardens of the Indians, most of the vegetables and fruit trees that are cultivated in Spain. The first settlers who arrived in 1769 already found in the interior of the country wild grapevines, which produce quite large but very sour bunches of grapes. It was perhaps one of the many species of Vitis native to Canada, Louisiana, and New Biscay, which botanists still know only imperfectly. The missionaries have established in California the Vitis vinifera vine, which the Greeks and Romans spread throughout all of Europe, and which is certainly foreign to the new continent. Good wine is made in the villages of San Diego, San Juan Capistrano, San Gabriel, San Buenaventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, and San Jose, therefore all along the coast south and north of Monterey up beyond the 37th latitude. The European olive tree is successfully cultivated near the channel of Santa Barbara, especially near San Diego where they make an oil that is as good as that of the valley of Mexico (from Humboldt).