"United States of America Compiled from the Latest & Best Authorities", Melish, John

This is a reduced version of Melish's important map, engraved by Benjamin Tanner and published by Mathew Carey & Son for C. V. Lavoisne's atlas. It provides a detailed view of the Missouri River and the headwaters of the Columbia River based on information from Lewis and Clark's expedition. One of the most interesting features of the map is the river system in the West, near the Highest Peak, where the headwaters of several major rivers all originate near one another, including Red River of California (Colorado), Multnomah (Willamette), Rio del Norte (Rio Grande), Arkansaw (Arkansas), and the Platte. The new state of Missouri is shown with a straight western border. Michigan Territory includes the eastern part of present-day Wisconsin, which is still a part of the North West Territory. The large Arkansas Territory takes in most of present-day Oklahoma. Texas is separately delineated with its border with Mexico conforming to Melish's map of 1816, following the Rio Grande up to the Rio Puerco, with a dotted line that reconnects with the Rio Grande just north of Taos.

References: Wheat (TMW) #338.

Condition: B+

There is light offsetting, a short tear along the lower right border that has been closed with archival materials on both recto and verso, and a tiny centerfold separation at bottom. There is a bit of residue along the top edge of the verso from where masking tape was used to frame the map.