history news

Oh, people might have read John Wesley Powell’s 1875 book, ultimately titled “The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons,” but the book wasn’t so much a deep dive into the size, beauty and geology of the Grand Canyon as much as it was a tale of the Wild West. “It was meant to be a geolog...

Join us for an engaging, entirely free and open-to-the-public symposium event offering insightful, thought-provoking presentations on the various historical-geographical and socio-cultural dimensions of Dutton's Atlas! There will also be a physical exhibit showcasing works from the Atlas and Monogra...

Our October Map of the Month is this undated Spanish map titled “Corea y Sur de Mandchuria” (Korea and South Manchuria). It depicts the Korean Peninsula and Southern Manchuria just prior to the start of the Russo-Japanese War, before Japanese occupation and the Division of Korea. It includes various...

Our September Map of the Month is this mid-1800s map exploring the feasibility of constructing a trans-continental railroad route through Arizona. The full title is “Explorations and Surveys for a Rail Road Route from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, Route Near the 35th Parallel, Map No. ...

Our August Map of the Month is this 1964 reproduction of a 1764 map titled “Plan de la Nouvelle Orleans”. It depicts the land that now makes up New Orleans' French Quarter as it existed over 250 years ago, just before Louisiana was ceded to Spain. It includes a legend marking places of interest such...

Our July Map of the Month is this 1848 “Mexico & Guatemala” map published just before the end of the Mexican-American War by S. Augustus Mitchell. It features a detailed depiction of the various international and state boundaries of Mexico and Central America at the time, many of which were alte...

Our June Map of the Month is a 1905 “Map of the Denver & Rio Grande System” depicting the extent of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad at the time as well as its connecting lines and variation in rail type throughout the system. The Denver and Rio Grande was one of the largest and most significa...

Our December Map of the Month is this French map titled “New Mexico, with the Northern Part of Old, Or New Spain”. Among the oldest maps in our collection, this map was made by Rigobert Bonne and was published in 1780 as part of Guillaume-Thomas Raynal’s famous Atlas de Toutes Les Parties Connues du...

View the full ASU News Article, How cartography helped the Grand Canyon become grand, written by Lauren Whitby, and published on September 28, 2021, at the following URL: https://news.asu.edu/20210928-arizona-impact-how-cartography-helped-grand-canyon-become-grand ...