The adventure of exploration and discovery, as well as the history of mapping, inevitably comes through in this volume of eleven scholarly contributions to the history of the cartography of the North American Plains. The 8 1/2 x 11 inch size allows for an easy-toread two column format and excellent black and white map reproductions, most of which are full page size

Koepp, Donna P

English

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Great Plains Quarterly Great Plains Studies, Center for 1988 Review of Mapping the North American Plains: Essays in the History of Cartography. Donna P. Koepp The University of Kansas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsquarterly  Part of the Other International and Area Studies Commons Koepp, Donna P., "Review of Mapping the North American Plains: Essays in the History of Cartography." (1988). Great Plains Quarterly. 433. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsquarterly/433 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Great Plains Studies, Center for at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Plains Quarterly by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. BOOK REVIEWS Mapping the North American Plains: Essays in the History of Cartography. Edited By Frederick C. Luebke, Frances W. Kaye, and Gary E. Moulton. Norman: University of Oklaho-ma Press, 1987. Maps, illustrations', notes, index. xiii + 239 pp. $39.50. The adventure of exploration and discov-ery, as well as the history of mapping, inevitab-ly comes through in this volume of eleven scholarly contributions to the history of the cartography of the North American Plains. The 8 1/2 x 11 inch size allows for an easy-to-read two column format and excellent black and white map reproductions, most of which are full page size. Eight of the essays contained in this work were originally presented at the symposium "Mapping the North American Plains," held in April 1983 by the Center for Great Plains Studies of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The others were written specifically for this work. A scholarly contribution of interest to cartographers, geographers, and historians, the work can be enjoyed as well by the casual reader of Western Americana. Gary Moulton sets the stage for all that follows in his excellent introduction. "Explora-tory Mapping of the Great Plains before 1800," by Ralph Ehrenberg, describes the mapping 183 that was done by the French, British, and Spanish prior to the American period. This thread of early history is picked up by W. Raymond Wood's essay, "Mapping the Mis-souri River through the Great Plains, 1673-1895," in his discussion of French, Spanish, and American contributions relating to their respective periods of control of the Missouri River. "Patterns of Promise: Mapping the Plains and Prairies, 1800-1860," by John L. Allen, expounds upon how little was actually known about the plains and prairies environ-ment, even though much progress had been made in mapping the region by 1860. Two essays are of particular interest in a little known field: "Indian Maps: Their Place in the History of Plains Cartography," by G. Mal-colm Lewis, and" 'A Chart in His Way': Indian Cartography and the Lewis and Clark Expedition," by James P. Ronda, are both excellent. Silvio A. Bedini provides a fascinating look at the Lewis and Clark expedition from the point of view of the instruments used and the training and expertise developed in their use in "The Scientific Instruments of the Lewis and Clark Expedition." Government cartogra-phers occupy two excellent chapters. John B. Garver, Jr.'s "Practical Military Geographers and Mappers of the Trans-Missouri West, 184 GREAT PLAINS QUARTERLY, SUMMER 1988 1820-1860" features the works of many lesser known cartographers and geographers; "Map-ping Kansas and Nebraska: The Role of the General Land Office," by Ronald E. Grim, describes the work of that office and its surveyors in the field. Richard 1. Ruggles discusses the Canadian West in "Mapping the Interior Plains of Rupert's Land by the Hudson's Bay Company to 1870," in which many previously unpub-lished maps from the Hudson's Bay Company files are featured. James M. Richtik, in "Map-ping the Quality of Land for Agriculture in Western Canada," brings us into the twentieth century with a look at soil and patterns of agricultural settlement. The final chapter, also by Ralph E. Ehren-berg, is a fine catalog of seventy-seven historic maps that were assembled for the symposium exhibition. Neatly classified into eight catego-ries by time, contributing country, and type of map, each entry includes a brief synopsis or chronology followed by complete map title, cartographer, physical description, place and date of production, and a description of the map. This is followed by the map's provenance and references to it in the literature. T wenty-eight of the cataloged maps are reproduced in the volume. Frederick C. Luebke states in his preface that one purpose of the symposium was to compensate for the imbalance that seems to exist between exploration as romantic adven-ture and exploration as accomplishment. This book is an outstanding example of exploration as both. It is impossible to read it without feeling the excitement of adventure and dis-covery, but one also marvels at the accom-plishments, made against great odds and at great personal risk, by these early explorers, geographers, and cartographers. This collec-tion of essays portrays very well the achieve-ments of early cartography on the North American Plains. DONNA P. KOEPP Government Documents and Map Library The University of Kansas 

Review of Mapping the North American Plains: Essays in the History of Cartography.

UNL | Libraries

University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
Great Plains Quarterly Great Plains Studies, Center for 
1988 
Review of Mapping the North American Plains: Essays in the 
History of Cartography. 
Donna P. Koepp 
The University of Kansas 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsquarterly 
 Part of the Other International and Area Studies Commons 
Koepp, Donna P., "Review of Mapping the North American Plains: Essays in the History of Cartography." 
(1988). Great Plains Quarterly. 433. 
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsquarterly/433 
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Great Plains Studies, Center for at 
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Plains Quarterly by an 
authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 
BOOK REVIEWS 
Mapping the North American Plains: Essays in the 
History of Cartography. Edited By Frederick 
C. Luebke, Frances W. Kaye, and Gary E. 
Moulton. Norman: University of Oklaho-
ma Press, 1987. Maps, illustrations', notes, 
index. xiii + 239 pp. $39.50. 
The adventure of exploration and discov-
ery, as well as the history of mapping, inevitab-
ly comes through in this volume of eleven 
scholarly contributions to the history of the 
cartography of the North American Plains. 
The 8 1/2 x 11 inch size allows for an easy-to-
read two column format and excellent black 
and white map reproductions, most of which 
are full page size. 
Eight of the essays contained in this work 
were originally presented at the symposium 
"Mapping the North American Plains," held 
in April 1983 by the Center for Great Plains 
Studies of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 
The others were written specifically for this 
work. A scholarly contribution of interest to 
cartographers, geographers, and historians, 
the work can be enjoyed as well by the casual 
reader of Western Americana. 
Gary Moulton sets the stage for all that 
follows in his excellent introduction. "Explora-
tory Mapping of the Great Plains before 1800," 
by Ralph Ehrenberg, describes the mapping 
183 
that was done by the French, British, and 
Spanish prior to the American period. This 
thread of early history is picked up by W. 
Raymond Wood's essay, "Mapping the Mis-
souri River through the Great Plains, 
1673-1895," in his discussion of French, 
Spanish, and American contributions relating 
to their respective periods of control of the 
Missouri River. "Patterns of Promise: Mapping 
the Plains and Prairies, 1800-1860," by John L. 
Allen, expounds upon how little was actually 
known about the plains and prairies environ-
ment, even though much progress had been 
made in mapping the region by 1860. Two 
essays are of particular interest in a little 
known field: "Indian Maps: Their Place in the 
History of Plains Cartography," by G. Mal-
colm Lewis, and" 'A Chart in His Way': 
Indian Cartography and the Lewis and Clark 
Expedition," by James P. Ronda, are both 
excellent. 
Silvio A. Bedini provides a fascinating look 
at the Lewis and Clark expedition from the 
point of view of the instruments used and the 
training and expertise developed in their use in 
"The Scientific Instruments of the Lewis and 
Clark Expedition." Government cartogra-
phers occupy two excellent chapters. John B. 
Garver, Jr.'s "Practical Military Geographers 
and Mappers of the Trans-Missouri West, 
184 GREAT PLAINS QUARTERLY, SUMMER 1988 
1820-1860" features the works of many lesser 
known cartographers and geographers; "Map-
ping Kansas and Nebraska: The Role of the 
General Land Office," by Ronald E. Grim, 
describes the work of that office and its 
surveyors in the field. 
Richard 1. Ruggles discusses the Canadian 
West in "Mapping the Interior Plains of 
Rupert's Land by the Hudson's Bay Company 
to 1870," in which many previously unpub-
lished maps from the Hudson's Bay Company 
files are featured. James M. Richtik, in "Map-
ping the Quality of Land for Agriculture in 
Western Canada," brings us into the twentieth 
century with a look at soil and patterns of 
agricultural settlement. 
The final chapter, also by Ralph E. Ehren-
berg, is a fine catalog of seventy-seven historic 
maps that were assembled for the symposium 
exhibition. Neatly classified into eight catego-
ries by time, contributing country, and type of 
map, each entry includes a brief synopsis or 
chronology followed by complete map title, 
cartographer, physical description, place and 
date of production, and a description of the 
map. This is followed by the map's provenance 
and references to it in the literature. T wenty-
eight of the cataloged maps are reproduced in 
the volume. 
Frederick C. Luebke states in his preface 
that one purpose of the symposium was to 
compensate for the imbalance that seems to 
exist between exploration as romantic adven-
ture and exploration as accomplishment. This 
book is an outstanding example of exploration 
as both. It is impossible to read it without 
feeling the excitement of adventure and dis-
covery, but one also marvels at the accom-
plishments, made against great odds and at 
great personal risk, by these early explorers, 
geographers, and cartographers. This collec-
tion of essays portrays very well the achieve-
ments of early cartography on the North 
American Plains. 
DONNA P. KOEPP 
Government Documents and Map Library 
The University of Kansas 


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