Rice & Bell’s Counting House Map of the City of St. Paul

One of the first printed maps of the Minneapolis capital of St. Paul.

This uncommon street plan presents an informative overview of St. Paul, Minnesota about a decade after it was officially made the state capital. The bustling city on the banks of the Mississippi was home to a growing milling industry and a large immigrant community. Several railroad lines are shown in operation along with their related infrastructure. Numerous important structures are outlined and labeled, including churches, hotels, civic buildings, and notable businesses.

Purple overprinting divides St. Paul into its five constituent wards. Two indices in the lower right provide a keyed list of the various additions/subdivisions and each street within the city limits. Nearby are several scenes reflecting the ‘essence’ of postwar St. Paul – steamboats, the state capitol, a figure representing agriculture, a waterfall, and a train.

The map was copyrighted in 1869 by G. Jay Rice and presumably published in conjunction with Bell locally in St. Paul. The piece is rare and noted by Philips (Maps in the Library of Congress) as the first printed map of St. Paul as the new capital. Noted in only five libraries in WorldCat as of May 2025 – the Wisconsin Historical Society (two copies), University of Michigan, Minnesota Historical Society, and University of Minnesota. OCLC# 8782001 Phillips (M) pp. 769