• Title : Carte Particuliere de Fleuve Saint Louis Dressee Sur Les Lieux Avec Noms des Sauvages
• Date : 1719
• Condition: (A+) Fine Condition
• Ref # : 50681
• Size  :  20in x 17 1/2in (510m x 445m)

Description:
This large beautifully hand coloured original antique & important early map of The Great Lakes & the Northern Mississippi & Canada - with descriptive French text surrounding the map - was published by Henri Abraham Chatelain in 1719, in his famous Atlas Historique.

Background:
Fine example of this remarkable map of The Great Lakes, Canada and the Course of the Mississippi, extending south to the Missouri River. It is one of the best maps containing early locations of the various French Missions, Forts, as well as French and Indian settlements during the period. It also illustrates significant river crossing locations, portages and other essential travel information in the region. The search for the water route to the Pacific is still very much alive, in the reports of this map, although no definitive route is shown as clearly open.

The map provides one of the most interesting depictions of the Upper Mississippi River during the time period, derived from Jolliet's rare map and report. In 1663, the French embarked on a westward expansion policy, initially focused on locating the Mississippi River, whose existence was known through Indian reports. Louis Jolliet, a fur trader and explorer, and Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit father led an overland expedition to the west, which left Green Bay in May 1673. 
After following the courses of the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers, the expedition reached the upper Mississippi. Continuing south, they discovered the mouths of the Missouri, Ohio, and Arkansas Rivers. On the return trip, they found a short cut to Lake Michigan by following the Illinois and Des Plaines Rivers to a portage at Chicago. Several manuscript maps survive based on the discoveries of Jolliet and Marquette, with this first printed version being adapted for inclusion in Thevenot’s Recueil des Voyages (Paris, 1681). Thevenot's map shows for the first time on a printed map the Mississippi and its tributaries north of the Arkansas based on first-hand observation. The depiction of the river between the Arkansas and the gulf is based on speculation. It was also the first map to include the place name Michigan or Mitchigami. The present map extends south to the Ouabach River. (Ref: M&B; Tooley)  

General Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color: - White
Age of map color: - Early
Colors used: - Pink, green, yellow, blue
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 20in x 17 1/2in (510m x 445m)
Plate size: - 18in x 14 1/2in (460m x 370mm)
Margins: - min. 1in (25mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - None
Plate area: - None
Verso: - None

Overall Quality (in Bold):
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