| | Thumbnail | | Creator | Date | Title / Author / Date / Location | Price | | | Description |
| 6544 |  | Details | Thrall, Willis | 1831 |
| Map of the United States Compiled from the Most Authentic Sources |
|
Thrall, Willis |
|
| 1831 |
| LOC:1405 |
| $1,900.00 | Thrall--Willis | Map-of-the-United-States-Compiled-from-the-Most-Authentic-Sources | This scarce "Map of the United States Compiled from the Most Authentic Sources" is a historical map of the United States published in 1831 by Willis Thrall, a cartographer and publisher based in Hartford, Connecticut. Thrall's map includes detailed information about state and territorial boundaries at that time, major cities and towns, rivers, mountains, and other geographical features. The area now containing Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California is labeled "Internal Provinces of Mexico."
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One notable feature of the map is the inclusion of a combined distance table between major cities with population statistics for each in 1820 and 1830. Thrall's map of The United States contains inset maps for: <div class="indenttextblocksingle">
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;"></li>
<li>North America</li>
<li>City of New York and Vicinity</li>
<li>District of Columbia</li>
<li>Boston and its' Vicinity</li>
</ul>
</div>
Bottom of the map contains the statement "Copyright Secured." The United States passed its first copyright law on May 31, 1790, under the Copyright Act of 1790. This law established the legal framework in the United States for protecting the original works of authors, including books, maps, and charts, by granting them exclusive rights to their work for a period of 14 years.
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As a native New Orleanian I found it interesting that the map locates a small town north of New Orleans- Madisonville, La. (today pop. < 900). I was unaware that in the 1830s, the area around Madisonville became a very important center for the timber industry. Large sawmills were built along the Tchefuncte River to take advantage of the abundant timber resources in the area, and the town became a hub for shipping timber and other goods to New Orleans. |