Antique maps and prints of historic Washington State.
This short
REFERENCE PAGE is designed to provide no more than a 'glimpse' of
the history of the State,
with a couple of examples of antiquarian maps and engravings and some interesting Links.
This Page is provided as a REFERENCE
RESOURCE - it is NOT an Inventory.
Genuine
historical maps and prints by mail order - all are eminently suitable for framing and
are offered On Approval, which
GUARANTEES
YOUR ENTIRE SATISFACTION!
Look us over, but don't
overlook us.
WASHINGTON TERRITORY
The article below was written in 1885 and makes interesting reading.
TERRITORY OF WASHINGTON.
Topography: The greatest length of the Territory east and west is 340 miles; greatest breadth, 240 miles; area, 69,180 square miles, or 44,275,200 acres, of which 28,836,985 acres are still unsurveyed. The Cascade mountains traverse it north and south from British Columbia to Oregon, and divide it into two unequal portions, the eastern section containing about 50,000 and the western nearly 20,000 square miles.
The highest peak is Mount Rainier, 14,500 feet, and there are several others little inferior. Between Puget Sound and the Pacific the Coast range attains considerable prominence and culminates in Mount Olympus, 8,100 feet high. There are also the Blue mountains in the southeast, which extend into the Territory from Oregon.
Eastern Washington is an irregular, broken country, and the chief divisions of the western section are the Columbia and Puget Sound basins and the valley of the Chehalis. The Columbia river enters the Territory from the north, traverses its whole breadth, constitutes almost the entire southern boundary, and with its tributaries drains nearly its whole area.
The Snake, Walla Walla, Spokane, Colville and Clarke's Fork are its principal affluents. It is navigable throughout the Territory, and the Snake is navigable from the Idaho border to its junction with the Columbia. The Territory has a coast line on the Pacific of about 180 miles, and the deep indentation of Puget Sound, with Admiralty lnlet and Hood's Canal, furnishes many excellent harbors.
The scenery of the Columbia river is in many places picturesque and even grand, flowing as it does through rocky mountain gorges and containing a number of cataracts and rapids.
Of these, the chief are the Cascades, where the river breaks through the Cascade mountain range; the Dalles, forty miles above; Priest rapids, 179 miles above the Dalles; Buckland rapids, sixty-six miles farther; and Kettle Falls, 274 miles above; the last having a perpendicular fall of fifteen feet. At Vancouver the river is a mile wide; and so great is the force of the current that it overcomes the effect of the tide, and the water on the bar is rendered drinkable.
Climate: On the western slope there are but two seasons, the dry and the rainy, the latter commencing late in October and lasting until April.
The rainfall is from seventy to 125 inches. The winters are mild, with but little snow or ice, and the summers cool and pleasant, the thermometer in July and August seldom reaching 90° Fahrenheit, while the nights are cool, and there is usually a breeze from the sea.
At Steilacoom, Puget Sound, the mean temperature of the year is about 50° Fahrenheit; summer, 63°; winter, 39°. The rainfall averages about fifty inches per annum.
The section east of the mountains possesses a drier climate, and the seasons of spring and autumn are more definitely marked. Washington Territory is extremely healthy, and, from the absence of marshes and the elevation of most of the land, is entirely free from miasma.
History: The earlier history of this Territory, which, up to March, 1853, formed a part of Oregon, is given under another head. [See OREGON.] Washington Territory, as originally created comprised the region lying between the Pacific and the summit of the Rocky mountains, and between the Columbia river and the British Possessions.
The Territory now known as Idaho, and some parts of Wyoming and Montana, were added when Oregon's State boundaries were defined in 1859, which gave Washington an area of nearly 200,000 square miles. This has since been reduced by nearly two-thirds.
The first settlement of white Americans was made on the Deschutes river, at the head of Puget Sound, in 1845, but prior to that time the Hudson's Bay company had established a number of trading posts.
The first Territorial governor arrived in November, 1853, and the first legislature met at Olympia in February, 1854. During 1855 and the ensuing year the settlers were involved in war with the northern Indians, and the trouble was renewed in 1858.
Gold was discovered in 1855, and in 1857-58 occurred the Fraser river excitement, when miners poured into the country around Puget Sound. The treaty of 1846 established the 49th parallel as the international boundary, but gave Vancouver's Island to Great Britain.
Unfortunately for all concerned, a misunderstanding occurred as to the ownership of the islands in Washington Sound. For a quarter of a century this remained unsettled in 1859 the island of San Juan was jointly occupied by the United States and Great Britain; but in l 872 the Emperor of Germany, to whom the matter had been referred under the provisions of the Washington treaty, decided in favour of the American claim, which made the Canal de Haro the boundary, and gave San Juan and other islands in Washington Bound to the United States.
Meantime, the general government had, by purchase, extinguished the possessory rights of the Hudson's Bay and Puget Sound agricultural companies, acquired under the treaty of 1846.
Population: Census of 1880: Males, 45,973, Females, 29,143; Native, 59,313; Foreign, 15,803; White, 67,199; Colored, 7,917, including 3,186 Chinese, 1 Japanese and 4,405 Indians.
VIEWS OF WASHINGTON
Published by BARTLETT in 1838.
Click on image to view a larger version
ANTIQUARIAN MAP OF WASHINGTON
Published by Armstrong - 1891.
Overall size is 6x4 inches. ORIGINAL COLOURING
Click on image to view a larger version
INTERESTING LINKS
OTHER POSTAPRINT US STATES FEATURE PAGES
Associations and Organizations in Washington
Contributions and suggestions for additional links would be most welcome.
After very many years in the Trade,
I am now
retired and the
Postaprint Website
as such is no longer available.
However this large collection of Reference Pages
is being
left on line, as we hope you will find them to informative and helpful. They
provide details of many of the maps, books and engravings we had the pleasure of dealing in over so
many years.
For a complete index of all
such Reference Pages PLEASE DO CLICK
HERE.
However,
my wife has a
store on eBay, with
many offers of delightful antiquarian maps & prints
& engravings.
SOME INTERESTING & UNUSUAL GIFT IDEAS FROM JULIE
DO VISIT MY EBAY SHOP
FOR UNUSUAL IDEAS FOR PRESENTS
Perhaps a map or print of somewhere important in
someone's life. For example, where
they were born, got married, went on honeymoon etc. I do have a wide selection
of topographical views and historical maps.
America's,
UK,
Europe,
Asia,
Africa,
Australia,
The World, Etc.
...Or do a search for their last name, you will be surprised
what you might discover!
Specialist mail order suppliers of collectible historical antique maps and engravings.