North America Sheet V: The North West and Michigan Territories
Cartographer / Artist: Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK) / Baldwin & Cradock / J. & C. Walker
Date: 1833
Medium: Engraving with original hand-colored outlines
Dimensions: 15.2 × 14.8 inches
Location: Upper Midwest, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois, United States
This finely detailed early 19th-century map illustrates the Upper Midwest during a dynamic era of territorial organization and American westward expansion. Published under the superintendence of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK), the map encompasses Lake Michigan, the eastern portion of the 'North West Territory' (present-day Wisconsin and upper Michigan), the Lower Peninsula of Michigan Territory, and northern Illinois including the nascent settlement at Fort Dearborn (Chicago).
Cartographically, the sheet provides intricate hydrography, early county lines in southern Michigan, Indian boundary lines (such as the 1829 treaty border), military outposts like Fort Howard and Fort Winnebago, lead mining regions around Galena and Mineral Point, and Native American village sites. The topography captures river networks, portages, and early surveyed township grids in southern Michigan and around Green Bay.
Engraved by J. & C. Walker and printed by Russell Penge for Baldwin & Cradock in London, this map reflects SDUK's hallmark precision and commitment to disseminating up-to-date geographical information during a period when the territorial borders of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois were rapidly evolving.