United States

An outdated map of early 19th century America.

This intriguing map of the United States was published in 1819, though the image had yet to be updated with America’s inexorable progress westward. Five new states had joined the Union by that time – Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The last remains a part of Georgia.

The only borders outlined within the Northwest Territory are those claimed by the Ohio Company, a private firm organized to settle the region immediately north of the Ohio River. This, too, was obsolete, as the company ceased to exist in 1796 after forfeiting much of its initial grants due to inability to repay debts to Congress.

Another unusual territorial boundary reflects the pseudo-state of Franklinia, in eastern Tennessee. Settlers in the region were unhappy with their representation in the North Carolina legislature and voted to secede in 1784. Though their pleas were dismissed by Congress, Franklinia operated largely as an independent republic until joining with Tennessee in statehood in 1796.

To the east, the enormous Louisiana Territory beckons. A fascinating variety of place names, geographic features, and Native American tribes are labeled throughout the map. Two annotations near the Mississippi River identify locations where Pike and Lewis & Clark wintered during their epic voyages. Topography and swamplands are depicted pictorially and a vignette in the lower right shows the mighty Falls at Niagara.

The map was drawn by James Wyld and skillfully engraved by Nathaniel Rogers Hewitt. Published in Edinburg by John Thompson & Co. in 1819 as part of the first edition of the General Atlas.

Source: David Rumsey Map Collection.