James Wyld, The United States & the Relative Position of the Oregon and Texas, 1850 ca., Map #93666, Map Collection, Archives and Records Program, Texas General Land Office, Austin, TX.

The United States & the Relative Position of the Oregon and Texas

James Wyld was a prominent British mapmaker during the mid-nineteenth century who held the prestigious position of Geographer to the Queen.

Wyld issued this beautiful map of the United States around 1850, which utilizes several colors to highlight the map, including red, pink, yellow, and green.

The map delineates the thirty American states prior to the Compromise of 1850.

It also includes the most prominent routes to the Pacific Ocean (including the Oregon Route) and important boundary lines, many of which changed shortly after its creation.

Notice the two treaty lines extending west, and the tracing of the Oregon Route

Not shown are the boundaries of the various territories formed in the 1840s (Oregon, Minnesota).

Title block

This is one of only a handful of maps contemporary to the period held at the Texas General Land Office that shows Texas with its largest territorial claims, encompassing parts of the present states of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Wyoming.

A reproduction of this map can be purchased on the GLO website.