Preliminary Map of the Lower Mississippi River from the Mouth of the Ohio River to the Head of the Passes

Uncommon atlas charting the course of the Lower Mississippi River during the 1880s.

This fascinating atlas presents a detailed overview of the course of the Mississippi River from its confluence with the Ohio near Cairo, Illinois to its massive mouth in the Gulf of Mexico. The maps were compiled, drawn, and lithographed by Edward Molitor between 1881 and 1885. Publication support was offered by the Mississippi River Commission, led by First Lieutenant of Engineers Smith S. Leach, with printing done by the firm of Buxton & Skinner in St. Louis.

The complete contents of the volume offer a wealth of information about the vitally important waterway in the decades following the Civil War. A key sheet following the title page offers an extensive table of distances between Cairo and the heads of passes, with the respective sheet number for each location listed. Also present is a legend for the various symbols used throughout the atlas, denoting local landscape (cotton, sugar cane, rice, swamp, etc.), transportation routes (roads, railways, canals), notable locations (churches, Indian mounds), and critical infrastructure (fences, hedges, ditches). Three index charts outline the scope of the 32 large-scale river maps that immediately follow. On each, major geographic features, local landowners, and various settlements are identified.

The atlas is well-represented in institutional collections (approximately 30 examples listed in WorldCat), but uncommon on the market.