1864 Farmer's Railroad and Township Map of Michigan

Guide to new life in Michigan.

This is Silas Farmer's important 1864 railroad and township map of Michigan. Farmer's map appeared during a period when Michigan was a hotspot for immigration and settlement. Both father John Farmer and his son Silas Farmer were local Michigan cartographers who worked assiduously with contemporaneous local governments and surveyors to keep their maps up-to-date, publishing editions annually and sometimes biannually. Such maps were essential for emigrants, both for travel and for life planning.

A Closer Look

The map embraces all of modern-day Michigan, along with parts of Lake Superior and Lake Huron. The state is divided into counties and surrounded by historical data and statistics likely to be of interest to prospective emigrants. Navigation routes crisscross both Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, with depth soundings and navigation aids in the area's most challenging waters. A breakdown of railways is presented in the lower-left quadrant; lists of stations and distances provided for each. Census statistics by county from 1840 - 1860 are located at top-center. Other information provided includes a discussion of the history and naming of Michigan, and the state's salt, mining, and mineral industries. A steamer is illustrated in Lake Michigan and the state's seal is depicted below the title at top-right.

Publication History and Census

This map was created and published by Silas Farmer and Company in 1864. The map is based on an earlier map engraved by Silas' father, John Farmer, prior to his 1859 death. Several editions were published as 'Farmer's Rail Road and Township Map of Michigan,' all of which are sought after by collectors and are scarcely encountered on the market today. The present edition is only cataloged in the OCLC at Central Michigan University (the Clarke Historical Library) and the University of Michigan.

Cartographers

John Farmer (February 9, 1798 - March 24, 1859) was an American cartographer based in Detroit, Michigan, in the first half of the 19th century. Farmer was born in the town of Half Moon, Saratoga County, New York where he trained to become a school teacher, mastering, among other academic skills, drafting. At the time, Michigan Territory has a shortage of school teachers and, in 1821, recruited Farmer to head the Lancasterian School in Detroit. Farmer supplemented his salary by using his drafting skills to copy manuscript surveys for new settlers arriving in Michigan. This work must have brought him to the attention government officials, who employed him to compile and draft a map of Michigan's first federally funded road. In 1826, he also published, along with Orange Risdon, one of the earliest maps of Michigan. Working in the 1830s, Farmer taught himself engraving in order to issue a second, more detailed map focusing on the southern half of Michigan's lower peninsula. In 1835, he issued an important general map of the Territories of Michigan and Wisconsin, which became one of his most enduring maps, going the various editions for nearly 25 years. Most of his early map plates he sold to J. H. Colton, who republished them under his own name and imprint. In 1844, Farmer issued State of Michigan and the Surrounding Country, the map that most defined his career. It became the essential Michigan map, indispensable for anyone planning to emigrate to Michigan, do business, or even move about the state. He updated and revised this map throughout the remainder of his life. He also issued a rare wall map of Michigan measuring 5 x 6 ft. After his death, in March of 1859, following a long mental decline, the Farmer map plates passed to his widow Rachel, and sons, Silas, Arthur, and John, who continued the business under Farmer's imprint.   Further Details...

Silas Farmer (June 6, 1839 - December 28, 1902) was an American publisher, historian, and author, and son of the famous cartographer John Farmer. Silas began his career working with his father in the family publishing firm, and continued working for the firm after his father's death. Silas published at least three histories of Detroit, Michigan, entitled The History of Detroit and Michigan (1884), All About Detroit (1899), Guide and Souvenir of Detroit (1891). He died suddenly on December 28, 1902 of an apparent heart attack. Silas married Orpha C. Littlefield in 1868.   Further Details...

Condition

Good. Some mended splits; some loss at junctures of folds.

References

OCLC 35066681.