Report of an expedition Down the Zuni and Colorado Rivers.

SITGREAVES, Lorenzo (1811-1888).

Published by Washington: Beverley Tucker, Senate Printer, 1854

About this Item

SITGREAVES, Lorenzo (1811-1888). Report of an expedition Down the Zuni and Colorado Rivers. 33rd Congress, 1st Session, Executive. Washington: Beverley Tucker, Senate Printer, 1854. 8vo., (9 x 5 4/8 inches). Large fine folding lithographed map of the Zuni and Colorado Rivers (26 6/8 x 47 3/8 inches) (6 inch tear near the mount), 78 lithographs, after R.H. Kern by Ackerman, N.Y., some tinted and one folding. Original maroon cloth, gilt and blind (spine faded and hinges split). Second edition. Including the important map: "Reconnaissance of the Zuņi, Little Colorado, and Colorado Rivers made in 1851 under the direction of Col. J.J. Abert, Chief of Corps of Topographical Engineers by Bvt. Capt. L. Sitgreaves, T.C. ; assisted by Lieut. J.G. Parke, T.E., and Mr. M. H. Kern ; drawn by R.H. Kern"; and 24 plates of people and landscapes; 6 plates of animals; 5 of birds; 21 of reptiles; 3 of fish; 21 botanical plates. The first government exploration of northern Arizona was made by Captain Lorenzo Sitgreaves, posted to Zuni, New Mexico, with orders to find a suitable railroad route to California, in September of 1851. the expedition set out along the Little Colorado River. the party was under the guidance of the famous trapper and scout Antoine Leroux. Taking sheep and mules with them, the entire party suffered under the Arizona sun, from lack of water, and Mojave and Yumas Indians. By the time they reached the Colorado River and changed direction towards the Gulf of California, the expedition was close to starvation, only finding relief at Fort Yuma. The expedition took about 10 weeks, and covered nearly 700 miles of unknown territory, although was not particularly successful in its quest to find a suitable railroad route. Farquhar 16; Field 1414; Graff 3809; Wheat, Mapping the Transmississippi West 763 and pages 22 and 23. Seller Inventory # 72lib1450

Bibliographic Details

Title: Report of an expedition Down the Zuni and ...

Publisher: Washington: Beverley Tucker, Senate Printer, 1854

Binding: Hardcover