Catalog Archive
Auction 163, Lot 204

"Mineral Lands of the United States. Message from the President of the United States, in Reply to a Resolution of the House of Representatives... ", U.S. Government

Subject: Upper Midwestern United States

Period: 1840 (published)

Publication: HR Doc. 239, 26th Congress, 1st Session

Color: Hand Color

Size:
6 x 9.1 inches
15.2 x 23.1 cm
Download High Resolution Image
(or just click on image to launch the Zoom viewer)

This is David Dale Owen's important report on the first geological reconnaissance of approximately 11,000 square miles of mostly Wisconsin and Iowa territories, along with the northern portion of the state of Illinois. Owen was hired by the U.S. government to survey this large region for valuable minerals before they began opening lands for public sale. He was the first to identify the vast resources of the region, and his surveys were the basis for James Hall's 1843 Geological Map of the Middle and Western States. The report contains a total of 4 folding maps and 24 other illustrations (many folding) including several geological sections, views, and fossil plates. Of particular importance is the large Geological Chart of Part of Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois (21.8 x 26.5"), which highlights the lead region in red and identifies numerous lead mines, copper ore and iron ore. Other folding maps of interest are Geological Section from the Mouth of Rock River through the Blue Mounds to the Wisconsin River... (10.6 x 12.8") and Chart of the Great Illinois Coal Field (8.4 x 7.7"). First edition (a subsequent Senate edition was published in 1844), disbound, 161 pages with 28 total plates. Scarce issue.

References: Marcou & Marcou #448-450.

Condition: B+

Maps are very good with very light toning, occasional offsetting, and a few spots of foxing. The plates were printed on two different types of paper; those on thicker paper are clean and bright with an occasional spot of foxing (A); those on thinner paper have light toning with scattered foxing (B+). Disbound text has very light toning.

Estimate: $350 - $425

Sold for: $250

Closed on 6/14/2017

Archived