"Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to Ascertain the Most Practicable and Economical Route for a Railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, 1853-1856 Volume VII", U.S. Railroad Surveys

This is the House volume that contains reports of the explorations for railroad routes from San Francisco to Los Angeles and from Pima villages on the Gila River to the Rio Grande by Lt. J. G. Parke. The route encompasses the 32nd and 35th parallels. It contains eight tinted lithographic plates and 43 b&w plates, all full page. Featured plates include the Valley of the Gila... plate with Saguaro cactus, the fine plate of the Mission of San Xavier (Tucson), and numerous fossil and botanical images. The colorful folding "Geological Plan of the Coast Range of California form San Francisco Bay to Los Angeles" is near mint. Also included is "Geological Plan & Section from the Rio Grande to the Pimas Villages" The report is in three parts with five appendices: Part I. General Report, illustrated with tinted lithos by A.H. Campbell; Part II. Geological Report by T.A. Conrad with ten fossil plates and 14 geological profiles; Part III. Botanical Report by John Torrey, with eight b&w engravings. Appendices: A) Meteorology and Barometric results by Campbell; B) Report on the route from San Diego to Ft. Yuma, via San Diego River, Warner's Pass, and San Felipe Canyon by Chas. H. Poole; C) Translation of an archive from Tucson by Barragua; D) Description of maps and profiles by Daniel Major; E)Ttable of distances and observations by Albert Campbell. 4to in original quarter leather and marbled paper binding with raised spine.

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Condition: B+

Plates and text are very clean less a signature of text with light toning. The tinted plates are all fine. Binding has a little corner bumping and sunning to spine. Green leather title label is faded and checked. Book plate on inside pasted down.