Rare 1888 Utah Map – The Beehive State’s Railroads, Counties & Great Salt Lake
€ 460
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1888
Sheet size
52.5 × 36 cm (20.7 × 14.2 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-12794-57
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
Condition summary: Good condition overall. Mild toning of the paper, light foxing at the margins, and original fold lines as issued. Paper remains strong and the plate impression is sharp. No major tears or repairs.
About this sheet
Utah in 1888, when it was still a territory, shown on an original map by Rand, McNally & Co. of Chicago from their Improved Indexed Business Atlas and Shippers Guide. The sheet is printed in black on toned paper, with railroad lines overprinted in red, and the title "Utah" at the upper right. The running head "Rand, McNally & Co.'s Utah" appears in the right margin, and the atlas page numbers 520 and 521 are printed at the outer edges.
The territory is drawn with its counties, towns, rivers and mountain ranges, and the Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake stand out in the north and center. Railroads converge on the Wasatch Front around Salt Lake City, Ogden and Provo and run south through the valleys, while the sparsely settled south and east are filled mostly with county names and physical features. The southeastern corner carries the lettering for the Navajo Indian Reservation, and Arizona lies below the southern border.
Utah did not become a state until 1896, so the sheet records the territory in its last decade before statehood, with the railroad network that tied its valley settlements and mining districts to outside markets.
