THE FIRST OFFICIAL MAP OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
William M. Eddy
Approved and Declared to be the Official Map of the State of
California by an Act of the Legislature Passed March 25th 1853
New York: J.H. Colton, 1854
Original hand-colored lithograph with original leather case
Framed size: 56" x 63"
• Rarely seen original, large scale antique map by William Eddy, former City surveyor of San Francisco and appointed
California State Surveyor after California was admitted as a state in 1850. Eddy Street in San Francisco is named after
William Eddy, as the majority of early maps of San Francisco were based upon his various surveys.
• Eddy was called upon to execute the "Official Map" of the State of California but due to limited funding Eddy relied heavily
upon verbal information rather than performing the surveys himself.
• Resulted in the best map yet produced of California but also met with controversy owing especially to the curious depiction
of the southern half of the state.
• Eddy’s map of the state of California was a substantial improvement over the commercial maps previously published and
for the first time showed accurately:
• The Eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada in approximately the correct location.
• Lake Bigler, whose name officially changed to Lake Tahoe in 1863, very close to its actual position.
• Many mines, ranches, trails and routes.
• The Oregon Trail to the north.
• John Charles Fremont’s route of 1844 in the south.
• The inset of San Francisco based upon Eddy’s map of 1851.
• While a highly important historical artefact and a fascinating cartographic curiosity, the conjectural geographic depiction
of several areas ensured that Eddy's California map did not gain widespread acceptance as the "Official Map", and very few
copies were printed, so accounting for its great rarity.
432 & 435 Jackson Street
Historic Jackson Square
San Francisco, CA 94111
415.788.5115
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