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NOTE: In the 18th. and early 19th. century the Territory of Alaska belonged to Russia by right of discovery; and by the middle of the 19th. century it was administered by the Russian-American Company. As the enterprise failed to pay the Russians lost interest in it and agreed to sell their interest in it to America in 1867 for $7,200.000. William Seward, the Secretary of State engineered the purchase, as the United States, at the time of the Civil War, felt the need of a military stronghold in the northern Pacific to prevent what they perceived as the possibility of an attack by England through Canada. At the time the following charts were drawn, Alaska was still in the process of being discovered by the Russians along with James Cook, George Vancouver, George Dixon and other navigators exploring the western coast of North America.

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See also Alaska and Pacific Northwest California to Alaska

PNWR104 - J. A. BUCHON “Carte Geographique, Statistique Et Historique Des Possessions Russes.” Paris 1825. Colored. 18½X25. Fine map shows Alaska when it was administered by the Russian-America Company. The map shows America's Pacific Northwest coast from Queen Charlotte's Island to Sitka and thence to Mount St. Elias, Prince William Sound and Cook's River. Includes the Aleutian Islands, Bristol Bay to Norton Sound and the Bering Strait between Alaska & Russia's Arctic coast at Cape Oriental & the Gulf of Anadir. Detailed text on either side of the map in French, covers Russian Alaska's history, its population, its position (Lat. & Long.) and its principal settlements and Indian lands. An inset map in lower center is titled “Partie Occidentale Des Iles Aleutiennes” and shows the southern extent of the Aleutian Islands From “Atlas Geographique” published by J. Carez in 1825 in Paris. 

THE EXPLORER'S CHARTS

In 1785 a consortium of traders based in London formed a business called The King George's Sound Company to establish a fur trade route between the Pacific Northwest and China. As a start they purchased 2 vessels, the King George of 320 tons and the smaller Queen Charlotte, of 220 tons. Nathaniel Portlock who had sailed with Capt. James Cook on his 3rd and last voyage to the Pacific in 1779, was chosen as Captain of the King George, and George Dixon who had sailed on the same voyage with Cook as an armorer, was chosen to command the Queen Charlotte. The 2 ships sailed from England in September of 1785, reaching the Pacific Northwest in July of 1786, where they anchored at Cook's Inlet in Alaska and found a Russian settlement. That summer they traded in furs with the Indians until November when they sailed to Hawaii for the winter months, returning to Alaska the following March 1787 where they anchored off Montague Island, Prince William Sound near Snug Corner Cove. After trading up and down the coast they encountered Capt. John Meares in his ship the “Nootka”, but warned him off the coast as he didn't have a South Seas trading permit, and Portlock and Meares developed a natural antipathy for each other. Nevertheless, Portlock, Dixon and Meares all continued their surveying and fur trading along the Alaskan coast and all 3 independently sailed to China with their cargoes of furs. In addition all three Captains published accounts of their voyages after their return to England. (Ref. “Beyond the Capes” by Ernest S. Dodge & “The Admiralty Chart” by Rear-Admiral G. S. Richie, D.S.C.)

Captain Nathaniel Portlock. (1748-1817). Published “A Voyage Round the World, but more particularly to the Northwest Coast of America, performed in 1785, 1787 & 1788.” London. 1789. (Portlock also served with Capt. Bligh in the Providence, 1791-1793.)

Captain George Dixon (c.1755-1800). Published “A Voyage Round the World 1785-1788.” For J. Stockdale & George Goulding London. 1789.

Captain John Meares (1746-1801). Published “Voyages Made in the Year 1788 and 1789 from China to the Northwest Coast of America.” London 1790

The following charts were all taken from the above published accounts.

PNWR118 - G. DIXON “Sketch of Portlocks and Goulding's Harbours on the North West Coast of America.” London 1789. 13½16. Colored. Alaskan coast. 57°.40'N Lat. Chichagoff Is. near Sitka. 

PNWR131 - A. PETERMANN “Special karte von Nord-Siberien Zwischen Lena und Beringstrasse.” Gotha. 1879. Colored. 14X14. This fine chart shows Siberia and Russia's Arctic coast from Lena to the Bering Strait and Alaska. Chart depicts many ships tracks criss-crossing the offshore Arctic waters, with depth soundings noted along the routes. Locates Capt. Smith's American Bark “New Bedford” 1879, Capt. Soule's “St. George” 1867, The Bark “Wollaston”, Capt. Nye, Capt. Craynor in H.M.S. Reindeer, 1867, Collinson in 1850, Kellett in 1849, Capt. Cook in 1778 (above the Bering Strait) and shows Wrangell Land visited by Capt. Long in 1867. Also depicted on the chart is the coast of Alaska and the North American coastline on the east shore of the Bering Strait. This is a very detailed and finely executed explorers map that includes great detail of Russia's Arctic coast. Drawn under the supervision of Augustus Petermann, the map was included in Petermann's “Geographishe Mittheilungun” and published by Justus Perthes in 1879.

PNWR132 - P. LAPIE “Siberie avec L'Amerique Russe” Paris. 1812. Colored. 8¾X11¾. Finely engraved map covers an area from the border of Eastern Europe to Russia, Siberia and China's northeast coast to the Kuriles Islands, Kamptchatka and the Bering Strait. Depicts Russian America (Alaska) and the Aleutian Islands and the Bering Sea and Isle Bering where Capt. Vitus Bering was wrecked in 1741, on his last trip to explore the Alaskan coast. The title in lower right is pictured against snow covered mountains with a wolf standing guard on one side. Published by Conrad Malte Brun (1775-1826) in “Atlas Complet Du Precis de la Geographie Universelle” and prepared by Pierre Lapie (1777-1850) a well-known French cartographer and surveyor. Fine.

PNWR136 - P. LAPIE “Carte De L'Amerique Septentrionale Dressee par M. Lapie Colonel d'Etat Major et M. Lapie, fils, Capitaine ou Meme Corps.” Paris. 1841. Colored. 21½X15½. Very handsome map of North America, Central America and the West Indies shows America's east coast well settled from Nova Scotia down to Florida. Canada is called Nouvelle Bretagne and is still mostly Indian Territories and the Midwest and West show some development, although California is still only settled along it's coastline which shows harbors up to present day British Columbia. Alaska is depicted as “Russian America” (Amerique Russe) with the Bering Strait separating Russian Asia from the North American continent. The Arctic Ocean (Ocean Glacial Arctique) is depicted along with America's and Canada's Arcitc coastlines which stretch eastward to Baffin's Bay and Greenland. In lower left is a small but detailed inset map of the Bering Sea and the Aleutian Islands. This fine map was produced by Colonel Pierre Lapie (1777-1850) and his son Alexandre Emile Lapie who worked on maps with his father, and was a Captain in the same Guards Division as his father. For this map they selected a prominent engraver named Pierre Tardieu and the map was published in “Atlas Universel de Geographie Ancienne et Moderne” in Paris in 1841.

PNWR137 - J. HINTON “North America.” London. 1832. Colored. 19½X16. Handsome map of North America shows the United States as they were known in 1832,with many regions settled on the East and South Coasts, while Western Territories and California were still only sparsely settled. A prominent feature of the map is Alaska shown as Russian Territory. The map was published in John Hinton's “History of the United States of America to the Present Time.”

PNWR138 - S. A. MITCHELL “Northwestern America Showing the Territory Ceded by Russia to the United States.” Wash. D.C. 1871. Colored. 11½X14. In 1867 Russia sold it’s right to Alaska to the U. S. Government for $7,200.000. Until the mid 19th century the Territory had been administered by the Russian-American Company, but as the enterprise failed to pay the Russians lost interest and were glad to sell their share to the United States. This excellent map shows Alaska colored pink with red borders dividing it from Canada’s British Possessions colored green and Russia’s Arctic coast of Siberia where the red dividing line runs through the Behring Strait. Includes the Aleutian Islands, coastal harbors & bays. Depicts Cook’s River, Prince William Sound , Mt. Elias, Sitka or New Archangel and Norton Sound and Bristol Bay. Inland, settlements are located along rivers and offshore the Pribylov Islands are drawn in the Behring Sea where Russian factories are located on both St. George’s and St. Paul’s Islands. Map has a decorative border frame and was reduced from the map published by the United States Coast Survey. Published by Samuel Augustus Mitchell in “The New General Atlas” 1860-1879. 

PNWR139 - T. CONDER “Various Charts of Islands in the Atlantic & Pacific Oceans.” London. 1779. Colored. 12X8. Very attractive & colorful sheet of 5 maps. The top one is a fanciful & speculative map of the sea area that became the Behring Strait between Russia's northeast arctic & Alaska, including the Aleutian Islands, the Sea of Kamtchatka & the Sea of Oclozk. A decorative cartouche in lower right includes the title “Chart of the New Northern Archipelago Discovered by the Russians in the Seas of Kamtchatka & Anadir.” Below the map are 4 small maps titled. 1.) Chart of the Azores Isles, 2.) Chart of theCanary Isles, 3.) Chart of the Madera Isles & 4.) Chart of the Cape Verde Isles. All maps depict harbors around the Islands & have decorative cartouches around the titles. The map sheet is decorated with small drawings of ships, sea serpents, anchor, leaves, scrolls & native produce & has an ornamental border frame. Engraved by Thomas Conder for publication in “A Complete Collection of Voyages & Travels” by John Hamilton Moore & printed by Alexander Hogg in London, 1799.

PNWR140 - A. ORTELIUS “Tartariae Sive Magni Chami Regni Typus.” Antwerp c. 1570. Colored. 13½X18½. This beautiful map by Abraham Ortelius shows the landmass & the coast of Tartary in Asia, the islands of Japan & America's Pacific Northwest. It's also one of the first maps to name California at the bottom of the Baja Peninsula & to depict a Strait between Asia & America called Stretto Di Anian which was later called the Behring Strait after Vitus Behring discovered it in 1728. Depicting the Strait on this map confirmed the theory put out in 1561 by Giacomo Gastaldi that a Strait might exist between the continents of Asia & America. Below the islands of Japan is a note saying that a large amount of the information on Asia comes from the writings of Marco Polo. Published in “Theatrum Orbis Terrarum” the map has Latin text on verso and a stunning title cartouche in upper right. (Ref. Philip Burden. The Mapping of North America. Pages 53/54. No.41 )

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