Bower, N. E.
1902

Map of the U.S. Military Reservation, Fort Sill, Oklahoma Territory

Map of the U.S. Military Reservation Fort Sill, O.T. Showing the Various Boundaries Compiled and Drawn under the Supervision of N. E. Bower 2nd Lieut. Corps of Engineers [and survey plat.]

DESCRIPTION: Unrecorded and important 1902 blueprint map documents the entire U.S. Military Reservation at Fort Sill, Oklahoma Territory, just five years before Oklahoma statehood and one year after the last Indian lands in Oklahoma opened for settlement. Compiled and drawn under the supervision of 2nd Lt. N. E. Bower, Corps of Engineers, the map was prepared for a Board of Officers convened on November 6, 1902 to review and verify the reservation’s boundaries, fences, roads, streams, and terrain. It presents the reservation in three components -- the Original Reservation, the Western Addition, and the Eastern Addition -- with detailed Public Land Survey System grids, contour lines, drainage, and the developed cantonment near Medicine Bluff Creek.

The first artillery battery arrived at Fort Sill in 1902, marking the beginning of a major shift in the fort's mission. During the 1890s, the post had actually been declining in importance and there was even talk of closing it and giving the land to the Chiricahua Apaches. The arrival of artillery units in 1902 saved the fort from closure and set it on the path to becoming what it's known for today - the home of U.S. Army Field Artillery.

This map captures that transition with precision, drawing on General Land Office surveys, U.S. Engineer triangulations, earlier post maps, and contemporary field notes. Today the blueprint stands as an important visual record of the boundaries and landscape of one of the nation’s most significant western military posts, known as the later home of the Field Artillery School and the final residence of the Apache prisoners of war, including Geronimo.

Includes an additional 1902 blueprint, the companion engineering plat to the large Map of the U.S. Military Reservation at Fort Sill, Oklahoma Territory. Signed and certified by 2nd Lieutenant N. E. Bower, Corps of Engineers, and dated December 5, 1902, the sheet (18"x18") records the detailed boundary survey of a 2,964.51-acre tract adjoining the reservation. Unlike the general overview map, this blueprint functions as a precise legal plat, showing boundary courses in chains, azimuth lines tied to the true meridian, triangulation links, and meandered riverbank paths, with a scale of 6 inches to 1 mile allowing for exact measurement of every line segment, angle, and survey station.

Despite the clear signatures on the 1902 Fort Sill blueprints, no definitive record of a U.S. Army engineer officer named N. E. Bower appears in the standard sources for the era. His name is absent from the U.S. Army Registers for 1898–1910, Cullum’s Register of West Point graduates, Corps of Engineers annual reports, and rosters of engineer officers working in domestic districts or overseas. This lack of documentation suggests either a very brief period of service, inconsistent initials on surviving maps, or a temporary commission for survey work in Indian Territory that left no lasting trace in federal military records.

CREATOR: Bower, N. E.

PUBLICATION DATE: 1902

GEOGRAPHIC AREA: United States

BODY OF WATER: N/A

CONDITION: Good. Clean and bright. No folds. Insignificant edge tears repaired archivally from the verso.

COLORING: Cyanotype blue background.

ENGRAVER:

SIZE: 32 " x 20 "

ITEM PHYSICAL LOCATION:

PRICE: $2400

ADD TO CART

This web site provides security by Rapid SSL

Similar items:

6833	Pictorial Map of the International Exhibition Grounds First U.S. Worlds Fair Unrecorded variant edition "Pictorial Map of the International Exhibition Grounds", the first "World's Fair" held in the United States (1876) the same year the Statue of Liberty be . . .	Details	1876	Van-Ingen--Snyder--Gillett	Pictorial-Map-of-the-International-Exhibition-Grounds-First-U-S--Worlds-Fair	Unrecorded variant edition "Pictorial Map of the International Exhibition Grounds", the first "World's Fair" held in the United States (1876) the same year the Statue of Liberty began construction in France. Along with the technological innovations and displays of American natural resources the Centennial Exhibition is notable as the location where two works of the renowned sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi were on display- the right hand and torch of the Statue of Liberty and the Bartholdi Fountain. <br><br> <div class="indenttextblocksingle"> "In May of 1876, Bartholdi constructed the right arm bearing the torch, realizing it could stand alone if financing for the entire project failed. The torch’s display at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia from August to November 1876 was a definite highlight with the fair’s approximately ten million visitors. Many scaled the 42-foot tall display for a fee of 50 cents." </div><br>
7921	Public squares, parks, and places in the city of New York Maps of sixteen parks, on one sheet, covering various locales south of 125th Street in Manhattan, New York. Each park map gives dimensions and acreage, shows layout of park walkw . . .	Details	1838	Nicholson--Francis	Public-squares--parks--and-places-in-the-city-of-New-York	Maps of sixteen parks, on one sheet, covering various locales south of 125th Street in Manhattan, New York. Each park map gives dimensions and acreage, shows layout of park walkways and surrounding streets. <br><br> From D.T. Valentines manual. 1838. H.R. Robinson, Lith. Compiled and surveyed by Francis Nicholson, City Surveyor. August, 1838. <br><br> The 1838 “Manual of the Corporation of the City of New York” is considered a precursor volume to Valentine’s later annual manuals. Compiled when David Thomas Valentine (1841-1870) was Assistant Clerk of the Common Council, it served as an early attempt to assemble civic data, city charters, ordinances, and maps into a single reference work. This 1838 edition predates the regular annual series and is not always listed among the later “official” manuals (which began in 1841), but bibliographers recognize it as the first appearance of Valentine’s work in this format. <br><br>
7980	Pictorial Map of Fort Meyers Florida Pictorial Map of Fort Meyers, Florida. A brightly colored illustrated guide showing the Fort Myers area and nearby islands (Sanibel, Captiva, and Estero Island) extending westward . . .	Details	1975	Metropolitan-Fort-Meyers-Chamber-of-Commerce	Pictorial-Map-of-Fort-Meyers-Florida	Pictorial Map of Fort Meyers, Florida. A brightly colored illustrated guide showing the Fort Myers area and nearby islands (Sanibel, Captiva, and Estero Island) extending westward to the Gulf of Mexico and eastward past Lehigh Acres. The Caloosahatchee River flows prominently through the center. Rather than a strict topographic depiction, it’s designed for tourist orientation, highlighting motels, attractions, farms, and local roads. <br><br> Verso with black and white advertisements for local businesses. Based on the businesses advertised ChatGPT estimates the age of the map from the early to the mid 1970's era. <br><br> Published by the Metropolitan Fort Meyers Chamber of Commerce.
7984	Map of The Mormon Exodus to the Rocky Mountains Scarce mid-20th-century educational wall poster depicts the westward migration of the Mormon pioneers from the eastern United States to the Great Salt Lake Valley. The map traces m . . .	Details	1961	Howells--Rulon-S-	Map-of-The-Mormon-Exodus-to-the-Rocky-Mountains	Scarce mid-20th-century educational wall poster depicts the westward migration of the Mormon pioneers from the eastern United States to the Great Salt Lake Valley. The map traces multiple overland and sea routes—from early settlements in New York, Ohio, and Illinois across Iowa, Nebraska, and Wyoming to Utah—with fine line work and green-toned shading that visually emphasizes the journey’s progression. <br><br> Illustrations along the route show covered wagons, handcarts, and pioneer figures, while smaller vignettes depict scenes such as the Mormon Battalion’s march and seaborne emigrant routes from Europe. At lower left, a narrative block summarizes the migration’s history, noting Brigham Young’s leadership and the founding of the Great Salt Lake settlement in 1847. <br><br> Printed in green and black on white stock, the map carries the imprint: “A Teaching Aid – The Mormon Story – Teaching Aids, Inc., Highland Park, Illinois.” This poster was likely used in classrooms and religious education settings during the 1960s, part of a broader trend toward illustrated historical maps as visual teaching tools. An attractive and informative example of mid-century American educational cartography. <br><br> Published by Bookcraft, Inc, 1961.
8006	1st Edition Topo Survey Map of Lynn Woods Massachusetts ON HOLD Rare first-edition topographical survey of Lynn Woods, produced in 1892 when the reservation was first mapped with scientific accuracy. McClintock's survey is the ea . . .	Details	1892	McClintock--John-N-	1st-Edition-Topo-Survey-Map-of-Lynn-Woods-Massachusetts	ON HOLD<br><br>Rare first-edition topographical survey of Lynn Woods, produced in 1892 when the reservation was first mapped with scientific accuracy. McClintock's survey is the earliest to depict the entire Lynn Woods area with true contour intervals (set here at 10 feet), replacing the hachured and sketch-based plans of the previous decades. The sheet documents carriage roads, footpaths, ponds, hills, and the internal structure of the reservation with the accuracy suited to modern municipal water-supply and forest management at a moment just before creation of the Metropolitan Park Commission. <br><br> This map reflects the conservation principles advanced by landscape architect Charles Eliot, who emphasized that sound public decisions must rest on accurate knowledge of the land. As he stated, "We must first know the character of the land if we are to judge wisely concerning its future use." Eliot also pointed to Lynn Woods as an early example of successful municipal action, observing that "Lynn has taken steps which other towns would do well to study." The survey represents that period in regional planning when detailed documentation of terrain, water, and forest formed the basis for long-term preservation efforts.<br><br>Two editions of McClintock's map exist: this original 1892 survey and a second 1910 revised edition updated by Charles A. Lawrence. The later edition shows added carriage roads, wood roads, and footpaths, including routes into areas previously shown as inaccessible, such as "The Island" in Tomlin's Swamp. <br><br> By 1910 a forester's house and an access road near Dog Hill appear, while the Belt Line Railway Station and track at the end of Park Avenue, present in 1892, are gone. These changes illustrate Lynn Woods' shift from a watershed landscape to a more formally managed public reservation. <br><br> The only other recorded example of this map in WorldCat is held by the Harvard Library. Inset map showing the location of Lynn Woods.<br><br>