Map of the Northern Parts of the United States of America

Populating the Northwest Territory in the early 19th century.

This fascinating map of the northeastern United States was designed by Jedidiah Morse and published in 1804 as part of his influential American Gazetteer. The details are based on the foundational cartography of Abraham Bradley Jr., the long-serving Assistant Postmaster General who mapped the nation’s expanding postal network.

The image presents a wealth of detail about the fledgling republic; states are outlined and labeled alongside major speculative land grants, including those of the Connecticut Land Company and the Ohio Company. Of particular interest are the early borders of the five future states proposed under the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. Land reservations and courthouses – both critical extensions of federal political power and national sovereignty – are carefully marked throughout. Military fortifications, geographic features, and an intriguing variety of early settlements (including Cincinnati, here labeled in its classical variant) are also identified.