"Improving"
Michigan
 After
New York's Erie Canal opened in 1825, settlers flooded into Michigan.
Maps in this theme show Michigan's rapid development after 1820.
Farm
crops, lumber, copper and iron—all needed to get to market. People
traveled as well—for business, to visit family, to attend schools and
colleges, to vacation on the lakes.
The
land is divided and mapped in ever-greater detail. Roads, railroads and
steamer routes are evidence of the increased demand for transportation
facilities.
John
Farmer, a noted Michigan mapmaker, made the Map of the Surveyed Part
of Michigan (1847) above. Revised from his earlier maps, it shows
the continuing growth of the state.
 This
map, Lake Superior and the Northern Part of Michigan, appeared as
No. 43 in Colton's Atlas of the World in 1855.
What's
Cool About Maps? features 29 maps from the collection of the Jesse
Besser Museum, Alpena, Michigan. The exhibit was at the Michigan Historical Museum, Lansing, Michigan, during the fall of 2001.
This
online minitour of the exhibit features one map from each of seven
themes. Visit each of the themes by clicking on the titles in the left
column. The map images were photographed under existing light
conditions in the gallery. Click on the thumbnail to see a larger image.
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