1929 The Arrowhead - with Companion Booklet
DESCRIPTION
One of the finest pictorial maps of the Upper Midwest, this richly illustrated 1929 map tells the story of Minnesota's Arrowhead Country through exploration, Indigenous history, the fur trade, mining, transportation, folklore, and settlement.
Published by the Hibbing Branch of the American Association of University Women, The Arrowhead covers northeastern Minnesota and the western end of Lake Superior, from Bemidji and the Iron Range to Isle Royale and the Canadian border. The map was drawn by Hibbing High School art teacher Irene Anderson, with Katherine Arnquist responsible for the illustrated blocks and border. Librarians Dorothy Hurlbert and Irma M. Walker researched its historical content, while branch president Mrs. C. H. Stewart oversaw the project. Proceeds from the map supported scholarships for women on Minnesota's Iron Range.
Mapping the History and Identity of the Arrowhead
The map presents an extraordinarily detailed visual history of northern Minnesota. Explorers, voyageurs, fur traders, missionaries, miners, lumbermen, railroads, ships, wildlife, and historic settlements crowd the landscape. Radisson and Groseilliers travel through the wilderness, Grand Portage recalls the great fur trading era, and scenes of exploration and commerce line Lake Superior. Regional folklore also appears, most memorably Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, whose footprints humorously explain Minnesota's multitude of lakes.
Surrounding the map is a colorful sequence of illustrated panels carrying the region's story from prehistory into the twentieth century. Scenes depict Indigenous life, European exploration, the fur trade, missionary activity, logging, mining, education, and industry, reinforcing the theme of the accompanying booklet: the history of the Arrowhead Country “from the Age of Stone to the Age of Steel.” The map also appeared at an important moment in the development of the region's identity. The name “Arrowhead” had only recently come into use for northeastern Minnesota, making this an early substantial map devoted specifically to the region under that name.
With the Original Companion Booklet
Especially desirable is the survival of the original booklet, The Story of the Arrowhead Country: From the Age of Stone to the Age of Steel. Its title page states that it was “written to accompany the pictorial and historical map of the Arrowhead.” The booklet expands upon the people, places, and events depicted on the map, providing the historical narrative behind its numerous illustrations.
The original map is scarce, with only a small number of institutional examples located and infrequent appearances on the market. Dealer examples we have traced generally consist of the map alone, making the survival of the original companion booklet with this example particularly noteworthy.
CONDITION
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