1907 U.S. Geological Survey Topographic Map of Western North Carolina

A beautiful part of North Carolina.

This is a 1907 U.S. Geological Survey topographic map of western North Carolina. Depicting from Bryson to Sapphire and from Waynesville to Highlands, contour lines present the region's topography in striking detail. Mountains throughout the area are identified and their elevations given. Creeks and rivers are illustrated. Towns and villages are labeled as well and dashed lines illustrate county borders. A small portion of Oconee County, South Carolina occupies the bottom right corner.

Publication History and Census

H. M. Wilson worked as the geographer in compiling this map with surveys conducted between 1885 and 1905. The map was engraved in October 1906 and published in February 1907. We note a single cataloged example, which is part of the collection at the University of Texas at Austin. The University of South Carolina holds an example that was from an edition reissued in 1954.

Cartographer

The United States Geological Survey (March 3, 1879 - present), commonly abbreviated USGS, is an American federal scientific bureau and civilian mapping agency within the Department of the Interior, established in Washington, D.C., and subsequently headquartered in Reston, Virginia. Congress created the Survey to classify public lands and investigate the geological structure, mineral resources, and products of the national domain, replacing separate western investigations with a permanent scientific organization. Its first director, Clarence King (1842 - 1901), organized geological investigations and recruited experienced scientists and topographers from earlier federal surveys. Under his successor, John Wesley Powell (1834 - 1902), director from 1881 to 1894, topographic mapping expanded from support for individual geological investigations into a nationwide undertaking. Congressional authorization in 1882 to continue preparation of a geological map of the United States extended the Survey's work into the eastern states, while systematic topographic mapping received authorization in 1884. Henry Gannett (1846 - 1914), the Survey's chief geographer, helped establish enduring methods and standards for this work. Its topographic quadrangles represented terrain through contour lines alongside drainage, settlements, roads, and other features, furnishing a common geographic foundation for scientific investigation and practical land use. During the 20th century, the Survey's mapping evolved from field surveying and compilation toward aerial photography, photogrammetry, and digital geographic information systems. A formal program begun in 1947 to map the conterminous United States at 1:24,000 scale culminated in nationwide coverage in 1992, comprising more than 55,000 maps. The Survey also produced geological and thematic maps and assembled national geographic information. In 2009 it introduced US Topo, a digitally generated successor to its traditional topographic quadrangles. Its continuing cartographic work includes The National Map, digital topographic products, and public access to historical quadrangles, alongside broader investigations of water, ecosystems, mineral and energy resources, and natural hazards.   Further Details...

Condition

Very good. Light creasing.