Map of the Gold Region with the Routes Thereto

One of the earliest obtainable maps that sent the ‘Fifty-Niners’ into Colorado for the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush.

This is a nice example of one of the earliest generally available maps of the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush. When gold was first discovered in the fall of 1858 in the western part of the Kansas Territory, near what is today Denver, the news created a great stir in the settled parts of Kansas and Nebraska, as well as further east. This led, in early 1859, to what became known as the “Pike’s Peak Gold Rush,” in which thousands of hopeful prospectors traveled from cities such as Omaha, Des Moines, and St. Joseph, and Kansas City to seek their riches in the goldfields.

This rush inspired a number of Pike’s Peak guides and maps, describing and illustrating the various routes to take. One of the first such guides, issued in February of 1859, was Byers and Kellon’s Hand Book to the Gold Fields of Nebraska and Kansas. This included a small map drawn by D.H. Deforrest, Jr. and engraved on wood by N. Orr. The image shows the main northern route, which follows the Platte River, and main southern route, which began at the Arkansas River. At the time, there were two main gold rush towns, Auraria and Denver City, which would eventually merge into modern-day Denver. Auraria can be seen near where Cherry Creek empties into the South Platte, but there is no mention of Denver.

This same map was re-issued within two months of first appearing in Harper’s Weekly, a nice example of which can be seen here. It is accompanied by the text of an article that describes ‘How to get to Pike’s Peak Gold Mines’, which ends with the prophetic words “From present appearances, the rush to Pike’s Peak will be tremendous.” An interesting and early example of how information propagation, supported by maps, encouraged many to head West to seek their fortune.

Source: Golden Mountains: Pike’s Peak, Western Capitalism, and the Making of the Colorado State: 1858-1876