Map of a Reconnaissance between Fort Leavenworth on the Missouri River and the Great Salt Lake of Utah

Reconnoitering the Great Plains in the mid-19th cent

First published by the Government Printing Office in 1852, Howard Stansbury’s Exploration and survey of the valley of the Great Salt Lake of Utah documents the U.S. Army Engineers’ impressive expedition across the Great Plains – one of the first federal efforts to map the vast region. Between 1849 and 1851, Stansbury led a party of 18 men from Fort Leavenworth in Kansas to scout for possible routes of a transcontinental railroad. The group extensively explored the area around the Great Salt Lake and proceeded all the way to Fort Hall in southern Idaho before returning to Leavenworth east, partially via the Oregon Trail.

Their route is covered in great detail on this huge map, published to accompany Stansbury’s report in 1852. A fascinating variety of geographic features, Native American tribes, scattered isolated settlements, and other locations of interest are labeled throughout the image. Topography is depicted with fine hachures, emphasizing the rugged terrain as the party moved further west. A handful of annotations reference the local availability of water – a critical consideration in overland transportation.

The efforts of Stansbury and his men were considered a success – ultimately the Pony Express and Union Pacific Railroad would make use of the suggested route.