1799 Cote nord-ouest de l’Amerique Reconnue Par le Cap Vancouver VII. Partie
By: George Vancouver
Date: 1799
Dimensions: 11 x 8.1 inches (28 cm x 20.6 cm)
This important and influential map of the great navigator and cartographer George Vancouver covers territory including Kodiak Island and Cook Inlet, Alaska. While centered on the Inlet, it also includes Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm southwards to the very tip of Kodiak Island. The map resulted from Vancouver’s exploration of the West Coast of America in the late eighteenth century. Following the expeditions of Cook in 1778 there remained only one possibility that might have led to the legendary route, Cook Inlet, a large bay discovered but not fully explored by Cook. Therefore, one of the primary goals of Vancouver’s expedition was to resolve any doubt regarding the existence of the Northwest Passage.
Vancouver was fastidious in delineating the coastline and islands, in depicting hazards for sailors such as shoals and shallows. This map details topographical details such as Mount St. Augustin, along with several other volcanoes. His mission to fully map Cook Inlet to determine whether it did connect to waterways that could cross the continent culminated in this map, which proved that it did not. Having entered Cook Inlet in April of 1794, by May he had navigated the full extent of the Inlet thus becoming the first European to visit the site which would become Anchorage, Alaska. At this point, the expedition had reached its northernmost limit and the return trip to Europe commenced.
Condition: This folding map is in A condition with a strong impression on heavy paper.
Inventory #10777
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