(CO.- Gold Field) Map Of The Gold Region With the Routes Thereto

(CO.- Gold Field) Map Of The Gold Region With the Routes Thereto, Harper's Weekly, April 1859
"From present appearances, the rush to Pike's Peak will be tremendous".

It's little irony that on the same page as the "Great Javanese Doctor" that could supposedly cure cancer, was the latest story of fantastic gold claims in the Rocky Mountains at the edges of the Nebraska and Kansas territories. A gold band that stretches from the "Black Hills", all the way south of Pikes Peak was the drawn and this map shows several routes to the treasure. Out of the four potential routes (Platte R., Republican R., Smokey Hill Fork, Arkansas R.), as described by map historian and author, Wes Brown, this map seems to hint at the Platte River route as being the most accessible and contiguous. Here the Platte route is partially shared with the Oregon trail, the "Cheyenne Pass" to Salt Lake, as well as a "Mail Sta." along the way. With Ft. Kearney anchored about midway, this map seems to lean toward the Platte River route as the logical approach after leaving Omaha. The only towns along the front range are Cheyenne to the north, Ft St Vrain well south of it, "Aurora" and "Auraria" near the confluence of the Platte River and Cherry Creek, and beyond Pike's Peak is Pueblo. Condition is very good for the entire sheet. Image size for just the map is approximately 4.5 x 7.25 (inches)