Fascinating hand drawn atlas, prepared by Laura S. Haven in about 1861.
Focused on America's Western Territories, the atlas is very unusual. While American hand drawn school maps and atlases can be found from the early 1800s onward, this focus on Western US Territories and other unusual American regions is quite exceptional -- the first we have ever seen.
The atlas collation is as follows:
- Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Southern States
- Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, Plains and Southern States
- Text for Russian Alaska, British America, Greenland
- Russian Alaska, British America, Greenland (3 maps on 1 sheet)
- United States, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island & New Brunswick
- Mexico
- Central America
- Washington Territory (Including Idaho) (1858-1862 configuration)
- Indian Territory
- Kansas Territory
- Nebraska Territory (1861)
- Dakota Territory (1861-1863)
- Colorado Territory
- Arizona Territory (circa 1859-1862)
- Oregon
Laura S. Haven
It is possible that the maker is Laura Haven Means (1850-1939), who was born Laura S. Haven in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Laura S. Haven married David MacGregor Means in 1877. Means was a Teacher at Phillips Academy (Andover) in 1870 and 1876, Tutor at Yale and Professor at Middlebury College (1877-1880), before passing the New York State Bar in 1882. Means was the former assistant editor of The Nation. He wrote many economic books such as The Boss, Industrial Freedom, and The Methods of Taxation Compared with the Established Principles of Justice.