The Wednesday Word: News from the Indiana State Library
“X” MARKS THE SPOT
By Janet Buckley (jbuckley@statelib.lib.in.us)
“Walk 12 paces north of the palm tree on the left to the rocky outcropping, turn right and walk 50 paces to the freshwater spring. X marks the spot.”
Although treasure maps are commonly used in fictitious stories such as Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, the Indiana State Library’s map collection is a treasure in and of itself. With maps dating as far back as 1720, cartographic aficionados will find dozens of maps depicting the Old Northwest Territory, current maps of interstate highways, and everything in between.
Early pioneers were probably grateful to have maps depicting waterfalls, rapids, obstructions and portages for river travel. Such traveling was treacherous in the late 18th century, but having a 1790 map entitled “Plan of the Rapids or Falls of the Ohio” made a trip on the Ohio River considerably safer.
Historians interested in this country’s Civil War period would undoubtedly find a map entitled “Map of Underground Railroads in Indiana, 1850-1865” fascinating. This map depicts dozens of safe havens for slaves hoping to acquire freedom in the North.
Paths to freedom may also be found in another map from this time period. One such map, entitled “Trek of Abraham Lincoln across Indiana from Kentucky to Illinois” by cartographer Harry Otto Garman, shows how Lincoln traveled from the Kentucky woodlands to become an Illinois statesman and, eventually, the Great Emancipator.
Transportation fans would be excited by the array of maps showing highways, rivers, aerial views, railroads, and trails. One such map is “Early Map of Indiana Showing Old Trails and Settlements and Indians Lands, 1809-1818.”
Today we often see stretched across highways rubber tubes used to automatically count the number of motor vehicles traveling across certain roads. In times past, however, drivers were counted differently. Maps were drawn to show roadway usage, such as “Traffic Survey Map Showing Average 24-Hour Traffic Flow for the Year May 1932-April 1933.”
Nature’s wonders haven’t been forgotten in the Library’s collection. There are many maps, like “Streams and Lakes of Indiana,” that reveal the beauty of tranquil settings and how to get there.
The Library’s map collection is full of hidden treasures awaiting your perusal. Use the online catalog (http://www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/isl/help/search.html) to draw your own treasure map to find the cartographic marvels that await you.
For more information about the Library, please visit us in downtown Indianapolis or online at www.statelib.lib.in.us.