Nell's First Map of Colorado

"Topographical & Township Map of Part of the State of Colorado Exhibiting the San Juan, Gunnison & California Mining Regions...", Nell, Louis

This is Louis Nell’s rare first map of the Colorado region and was issued as an “advance Sheet of a Map, of the whole State of Colorado, which will be published sometime during the Month of June 1880.” It was published at the beginning of the Colorado Silver Boom and extends from Denver (outside the border at top right) to mining regions south and west including Leadville, Breckenridge, Ouray, Silverton and many more. Based upon government surveys and “other authentic sources,” Nell leaves virtually no area untouched and drew the map on an impressive scale of 9 miles per inch (Nell's later state map was on a scale of 10 miles per inch). Keys at top left and right identify railroads, railroads under construction, trails, post offices, villages, elevation, private grants, military reservations, Indian reservations, and more. Counties are delineated in hand color and provide a visual balance to the remarkable amount of data presented. The map is encased in Mylar, covers not present.

Louis Nell came to Colorado in the mid-1870s as a topographical assistant to George Wheeler. Nell enjoyed the area so much that he settled there and published a series of maps of the state beginning in 1880. His detailed maps captured the rapid development of the area, including the great Silver Boom during the 1880s-90s.

This map has appeared at auction only 2 times in the last 30 years.

References: Brown (Portolan - Spring 2019) pp. 47-53.

Condition: B

Issued folding and now flat with moderate staining and soiling. There are a number of splits at the fold junctions with moderate loss at four fold junctions (most notably around Canon City) that have been professionally repaired with image replaced in facsimile. See verso image for more detail. Encased in Mylar, not covers present.