Cover: Central part, State of California. / Bielawski, C. ; Hoffmann, J.D. ; Poett, A. / 1865

Cover: Central part, State of California. Bielawski, C. ; Hoffmann, J.D. ; Poett, A. 1865

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Full Title: (Covers to) Topographical And Railroad Map of the Central Part of the State of California, and Part of the State Of Nevada. 1865. Compiled from Railroad Surveys, U.S. Public Land Surveys, U.S. Coast Surveys, California State Geological Survey (Prof. J.D. Whitney), and from reliable private Surveys, and Published by C. Bielawski, J.D. Hoffmann & A. Poett, Civil Engineers & Survrs. Britton & Co. Lith: San Francisco. Entered ... 1865 by J.D. Hoffmann & A. Poett ... California.

Author: Bielawski, C. ; Hoffmann, J.D. ; Poett, A.

Date: 1865

Published In: Topographical And Railroad Map of the Central Part of the State of California, and Part of the State Of Nevada. 1865. Compiled from Railroad Surveys, U.S. Public Land Surveys, U.S. Coast Surveys, California State Geological Survey (Prof. J.D. Whitney), and from reliable private Surveys, and Published by C. Bielawski, J.D. Hoffmann & A. Poett, Civil Engineers & Survrs. Britton & Co. Lith: San Francisco. Entered ... 1865 by J.D. Hoffmann & A. Poett ... California.

Publication Reference: Streeter 2891; Haiman, Polish Pioneers of California, p 57-61.

Publication Note: This scarce map shows a large band of central California from San Francisco Bay to Virginia City, Nevada. The showing of railroads is extensive with a separate table listing the engineers for each road. Topography is delineated in "crayon" style resulting in a very clear rendition of the Coast Range and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The mining camps are shown in great number and the overall detail is most impressive with a 4 miles to 1 inch scale. The Whitney Survey "Map of Central California" of 1873 is the only map that we know of that is comparable, yet it is eight years later, at a scale of 6 miles to 1 inch, and runs from west to east from San Francisco Bay, thus ending at Mono Lake and missing Lake Tahoe. This 1865 map runs from southwest to northeast, covering Lake Tahoe and extending to Pyramid Lake in Nevada. We have not seen any map of central California of this period that has the clarity and detail of this map. The map was copyrighted in 1865 by Hoffmann and Poett, about whom not much is known, except that Hoffmann made a "Topographical Map of Lake Tahoe..." in 1874 with Ferdinand Von Leicht (Graff 4497); it is not clear why Bielawski was not also listed on the copyright - perhaps because he was for many years surveyor for the U.S. General Land Office in San Francisco. Haiman states that Bielawski "was considered the most important person in the Land Office, that he personally surveyed and was generally recognized as the best authority on real property titles in the state." This copy is folded into untitled brown cloth covers stamped with a decorative border.

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