Item #14424 Four Litho tinted plates from the Reports of Explorations and Surveys ... from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean; Volume VI Explorations of a Railroad Route from the Sacramento Valley to the Columbia River, Lieut. R. S. Williamson and Lieut. Henry L. Abbot [33d Congress, 2d Session, House, Ex. Doc., 91, Serial 796]. R. S. Williamson, Henry L. Abbot, Pacific Railroad Surveys.
Four Litho tinted plates from the Reports of Explorations and Surveys ... from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean; Volume VI Explorations of a Railroad Route from the Sacramento Valley to the Columbia River, Lieut. R. S. Williamson and Lieut. Henry L. Abbot [33d Congress, 2d Session, House, Ex. Doc., 91, Serial 796]
Four Litho tinted plates from the Reports of Explorations and Surveys ... from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean; Volume VI Explorations of a Railroad Route from the Sacramento Valley to the Columbia River, Lieut. R. S. Williamson and Lieut. Henry L. Abbot [33d Congress, 2d Session, House, Ex. Doc., 91, Serial 796]
Four Litho tinted plates from the Reports of Explorations and Surveys ... from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean; Volume VI Explorations of a Railroad Route from the Sacramento Valley to the Columbia River, Lieut. R. S. Williamson and Lieut. Henry L. Abbot [33d Congress, 2d Session, House, Ex. Doc., 91, Serial 796]

Four Litho tinted plates from the Reports of Explorations and Surveys ... from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean; Volume VI Explorations of a Railroad Route from the Sacramento Valley to the Columbia River, Lieut. R. S. Williamson and Lieut. Henry L. Abbot [33d Congress, 2d Session, House, Ex. Doc., 91, Serial 796]

Washington DC: A. O. P. Nicholson, Printer, 1857. Very Good. First Edition. [8.25x11in] Four litho tinted illustrated plates I, II, VIII, and XII; Some age-toning along edges, one with large stain along right edge not affecting neatline of illustration. Item #14424

These plates are from from Volume VI of the quarto edition of twelve volumes were published from 1855 to 1861 as exploration and survey reports became available. These volumes contained not only the survey maps and elevations, but a monumental collection of scientific reports on geography, geology, zoology, botany, and ethnology of the Native American tribes. The surveys also included 11 artists to record the landscape and indigenous peoples of the west.

The plates were drawn in 1855 by John J. Young (1830-1879), a staff artist for the War Department. He was assigned in 1855 as a draftsman for the Lt. Williamson railway survey to connect California's Sacramento Valley with Oregon's Columbia River....Young's views of the Cascade Range included 14 landscape scenes, one geologic scene, and 10 drawings of trees in there habitat (from Samuels, p 545)

The Illustrations are: Plate 1 - Lassens Butte From Vicinity of Camp 18, Plate II Mouth of Fall River near Camp 20, Plate VIII Canon of Psuc-See-Que Creek near Camp 41A, Plate XII Shasta Butte and Shasta Valley from a point near Camp 70A.

The twelve volumes were disorganized in publication with no overall all arrangement or indexing. Some of the plates and maps referred to in volumes were published in other volumes, various reports were also published out of sequence relating to the four routes. Preliminary reports published were updated in latter volumes. (From Wagner-Becker-Camp) In 1853, Senator Gwin of California lead the inclusion of Congressional funding for 1853-54 of a series of surveys to determine the best and most economical railroad routes from the Mississippi River to the Pacific coast. The act directed the Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis to plan and direct Army topographical engineers to conduct surveys of four routes. The first was between the 47th and 49th parallels generally along the Lewis and Clark route to the Pacific. The Second route between the 37th and 39th parallels was promoted by Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri. The Third route was along the 35th parallel. The Fourth route was promoted by Secretary Davis along the 32nd parallel that followed Emory’s 1846-47 reconnaissance.

Price: $80.00

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