1854 U.S. Coast Survey Chart or Map of California and Oregan north of San Francisco
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Description: A remarkable 1854 map by the United States Coast Survey. Covers the coastline of California and Oregon from San Francisco (depicted) northwards as far as the Umpqua (Umpquah) River. Offers soundings only along the coast line - suggesting the primitive state of the survey in this region. The highlight of this map are the twelve stunning coastal profile views that decorate the right hand side of the map. The upper left quadrant offers general information on tides and lighthouses as well as detailed sailing instructions for the region. This chart is the central sheet of a series of three charts that the Coast Survey issues to show its progress in the region. The positioning for this chart is the world of G. Davidson. The Hydrography was completed by a party under the command of James Alden. Published under the direction of A.D. Bache, one of the most influential superintendents to lead the U.S. Coast Survey.
Date: 1854 (dated)
Source: Report of the Superintendant of the United States Coast Survey, Washington, (1854 edition).
Cartographer: The Office of the Coast Survey, founded in 1807 by President Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of Commerce Albert Gallatin, is the oldest scientific organization in the U.S. Federal Government. Jefferson created the "Survey of the Coast," as it was then called, in response to a need for accurate navigational charts of the new nation's coasts and harbors. The first superintendent of the Coast Survey was Swiss immigrant and West Point mathematics professor Ferdinand Hassler. Under the direction of Hassler, from 1816 to 1843, the ideological and scientific foundations for the Coast Survey were established. Hassler, and the Coast Survey under him developed a reputation for uncompromising dedication to the principles of accuracy and excellence. Hassler lead the Coast Survey until his death in 1843, at which time Alexander Dallas Bache, a great-grandson of Benjamin Franklin, took the helm. Under the leadership A. D. Bache, the Coast Survey did most of its most important work. During his Superintendence, from 1843 to 1865, Bache was steadfast advocate of American science and navigation and in fact founded the American Academy of Sciences. Bache was succeeded by Benjamin Pierce who ran the Survey from 1867 to 1874. Pierce was in turn succeeded by Carlile Pollock Patterson who was Superintendent from 1874 to 1881. In 1878, under Patterson's superintendence, the U.S. Coast Survey was reorganized as the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (C & GS or USGS) to accommodate topographic as well as nautical surveys. Today the Coast Survey is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA. Click here for a list of rare maps from the U. S. Coast Survey.
Size: Printed area measures 22.5 x 23 inches (57.15 x 58.42 centimeters)
Condition: Very good. Left margin extended. Minor wear and toning along original fold lines - especially at intersections. A few minor verso repairs and reinforcements along folds.
Code: WestCoastMiddle-uscs-1854 (Necessary for phone inquiries: 646-320-8650)
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