1827 Amerique Septentrionale No. 49 (Map of Illinois, Missouri, and Surrounding Territories)

This is the first lithograph map of Illinois and Missouri with the surrounding Arkansas, and Missouri Territories that would later become the states of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa. The region depicted would forever be known as the Gateway to the Western Frontier, with scores of emigrants, prospectors, and traders traversing the many historic trails that began along the Missouri River, including the Santa Fe and Oregon Trail.  The map shows early counties, settlements, forts, iron and quartz mines, rivers, lakes, wagon roads, and physical topography. Small circles give populations of each state. A notation running from bottom to the top of the western portion of the map reads in French "Limite occidentale de la pierre arquilleuse et des couches de charbon se joignust aux ments Ozarks," which translates to "Western boundary of argillaceous stone and coal seams joins Ozarks." Stepping back, one can't help but notice the focus Vandermaelen made to the geologic makeup and