1873 U.S. Coast Survey Map of the Aleutian Islands, Alaska

The first U.S. Coast Survey chart of the Aleutian Islands.

This unusual map is the U.S. Coast Survey's first significant mapping of the Aleutian Islands following the 1867 acquisition of the Alaska territory from Russia. The map covers the Aleutian Archipelago from Atta Island to Unimak Island and extends far enough north to include the Pribiloff Islands. Identifies each major island in the archipelago as well as important island groups, such as the 'Islands of Four Mountains' and notable naval passes, such as the Amukhta Pass. There are numerous but hardly exhaustive soundings illustrative of the embryonic state of the survey in this region. Produced under the supervision of Benjamin Peirce, Superintendent of the U.S. Coast Survey.

Cartographer

The Office of the Coast Survey (1807 - present), founded in 1807 by President Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin, is the oldest scientific organization in the U.S. Federal Government. Jefferson created the "Survey of the Coast," as it was then called, to produce accurate navigational charts of the new nation's coasts and harbors. The first two superintendents defined the spirit of the Coast Survey. The Coast Survey's first superintendent was Swiss immigrant and West Point mathematics professor Ferdinand Hassler. Under Hassler's direction, from 1816 to 1843, the Coast Survey established its ideological and scientific foundations. These included the use of the most advanced techniques and most sophisticated equipment, along with unstinting attention to detail. Hassler devised a labor-intensive triangulation system that divided the entire coast into a series of enormous triangles. These were then subdivided into smaller triangulation units, which were individually surveyed. No one had ever attempted this exacting technique on such a massive scale. As a result, Hassler and the Coast Survey under his leadership earned a reputation for uncompromising dedication to accuracy and excellence. Unfortunately, despite being a masterful surveyor, Hassler was abrasive and politically unpopular, and Congress cut funding for the Coast Survey twice. Nonetheless, Hassler led the Coast Survey until his death in 1843, when Alexander Dallas Bache, Benjamin Franklin's great-grandson, took the helm. Bache was fully dedicated to the principles established by Hassler, but proved more politically astute and successfully lobbied Congress to fund the endeavor generously. Under A. D. Bache's leadership, the Coast Survey completed its most important work. During his long tenure with the Coast Survey, from 1843 to 1865, Bache steadfastly advocated American science and navigation and, in fact, founded the American Academy of Sciences. Benjamin Pierce succeeded Bache and ran the Survey from 1867 to 1874. Pierce was succeeded by Carlile Pollock Patterson, Superintendent from 1874 to 1881. In 1878, under Patterson's superintendence, the U.S. Coast Survey was reorganized as the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (USCGS) to accommodate both topographic and nautical surveys. Today, the Coast Survey is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the National Geodetic Survey.   Further Details...

Source

Report of the Superintendent of the United States Coast Survey, Washington, (1873 edition).    

Condition

Good. Light overall toning. Verso reinforcement and toning on original fold lines. Blank on verso. Paper extremely brittle.

References

University of Alaska Fairbanks, Elmer E. Rasmuson Library, Alaska and Polar Regions Collections, UAF-M0106.