First “Official” Map of Los Angeles
"Topographical Sketch of the Los Angeles Plains & Vicinity August 1849", Ord, E. O. C.
Subject: Los Angeles, California
Period: 1849 (dated)
Publication: Sen. Ex. Doc. 47, 31st Congress, 1st Session
Color: Black & White
Size:
6.2 x 7.3 inches
15.7 x 18.5 cm
This small map of Los Angeles was issued in Philip Tyson's report concerning the geology and topography of the area between San Francisco and the Gold Region. The Ruderman Map Collection at Stanford describes this sketch as “a curious addition to a publication whose real subject matter was the discovery of Gold in California. Nevertheless, it is of great significance as the first map done by Ord and also the first 'official' map of Los Angeles" (click here for more details.) Because military salaries could not keep up with Gold Region price inflation, Ord was authorized to work for local officials and produced this first formal survey of nascent Los Angeles and the surrounding region.
References:
Condition: A+
Issued folding.
