Indian Tribes and Trapper Trails

Mythologizing the 19th century American West.

This uncommon pictorial map of the western United States was designed by R.W. Rodgers and published by James and Evelyn Gardiner in 1949. It was likely issued to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the California Gold Rush. The image, shown on deerskin stretched across a wooden frame, presents an idealized view of the American West in the first half of the 19th century.

Forts, missions, and explorers’ routes are dated and labeled throughout. Vignettes show iconic scenes of wagon trains and buffalo herds, portraits of stoic Native American chiefs, and sun-bleached bones in the desert of Nevada. Huge swathes of territory are attributed to particular tribes, though only the Pai-Utes (Root Diggers) and Shoshones (Snakes) are transliterated. Descriptive text in the lower center omits Native Americans entirely, with a few interesting exceptions extracted below.

“The mountain man was a pathfinder and trail breaker of the highest order, a skilled diplomat with the dozens of treacherous Indian tribes whose lands he trespassed daily and a master craftsman in the art of survival…Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks, Walker Pass, and Jackson Hole are part of the heritage left by the untold hundreds who suffered lonely deaths from Indians, raging rivers, blizzards, starvation, and Grizzly Bears.”

Though the map is well-represented in institutions, the accompanying folder, which includes a bibliography, is scarce.