1947 Mathis Pictorial View of Feather River Basin and Lakes, California

From Gold Diggings to Outdoor Recreation Dreamland.

This is George Mathis' c. 1947 lively pictorial view of the Feather River region, Northern California. It captures the region in the early years of a tourism and recreation boom, aided by the completion of rail and highway links in the preceding years.

A Closer Look

The view is oriented roughly towards the northeast and covers portions of Plumas and Sierra Counties, with much of this land falling within the Plumas and Tahoe National Forests. The region's lakes (including Gold Lake, Long Lake, and Smith Lake), rivers and streams (including the titular Feather River), and highest mountains (Elwell, Washington, Eureka Peak) are labeled. Roads, highways, hiking trails, and the Western Pacific Railroad are traced, with nearby locations such as Truckee (near Lake Tahoe), Quincy, and even San Francisco indicated at the margin of the map. Illustrations throughout depict lodges, inns, camps, mines, U.S. Forest Service stations, and towns, as well as outdoor recreation activities like fishing, horseback riding, and hiking.

This region was the northern end of the California 'Mother Lode' that was the object of gold seekers of the late 1840s. In subsequent decades, though some mining continued (more organized than the mad dash of 1848), other industries sprang up, such as cattle ranching and farming. But the most enduring industry was timber, which could continue even after the creation of national forests covering much of the region. The extension of the Western Pacific Railroad along the Feather River around 1910 and the construction of the Feather River Highway (U.S. 40A here, completed 1937), a scenic but difficult route that required numerous bridges and tunnels, facilitated the arrival of tourists and outdoorsmen, providing a new mainstay to the local economy.

Publication History and Census

This pictorial map was prepared by artist George Mathis in the late 1940s. We only note one institutional example, at California State University, Chico.

Cartographer

George Mathis (January 26, 1909 - September 28, 1977) was an American artist. Born in Seattle, Washington, Mathis suffered from Paget's disease as a child which led to him spending much of his time indoors. During these years Mathis developed an interest in art and his early art education was self-taught. After graduating from high school Mathis attended Washington State University, where he studied landscape painting under William T. McDermott and majored in art. He graduated in June 1932, moved to California, and began working as a commercial artist and art teacher. Mathis married his wife Jean in 1936. He and his wife Jean moved to Nevada City, California, in 1948 after living in the Bay Area for a few years. Here Mathis developed his desire to use art to recreate western history. During this time Mathis also began doing lithography, which soon led to a very successful business. The couple moved to Coloma, California, around 1960, and remodeled a Victorian-style house dating from the Gold Rush era. They operated a studio and art gallery here and named their home 'Friday House', using Jean's maiden name. Mathis' passion for recreating the Gold Rush era earned him the nickname 'pictorial historian of the Mother Lode'. He added a new dimension to his career in the 1960s, when he began creating illustrations for the Aerojet Corporation, the Sacramento-based aerospace company, then America's largest producer of rocket engines.   Further Details...

Condition

Very good. Marginal mend in upper left, not impacting printed image. Else excellent.

References

California State University Chico G4363 P4 A6 1950 M3.