Götfred Jögensen

Published 1894, Victoria, BC

Size: 48.25" X 53.25"

Dissected and laid on linen in original binder.

Condition: Some toning on old fold lines.

Description:

A spectacular and very rare map which, for its time, provided significant cartographic advancements in the depiction of the young Canadian province of British Columbia.  The map was compiled and drawn by Götfred Jögensen, a civil engineer working in both British Columbia and Washington State, who would later go on to become the Surveyor General of the Province.  

Jörgensen’s present work was compiled under the supervision George B. Martin, the Chief Commissioner of the department of  Lands and Works for British Columbia.  This department had been established as early as 1871 when British Columbia officially entered Confederation, so as to survey and administer the newly formed province.

As such, it is important to note that the work undertaken by the department of the Lands and Works, especially as it relates to the cartographic output from land mark maps such as this one, or Mohun’s map of 1880 or James Brownlee’s map of 1893, were instrumental in recording the economic development that was occurring in the western reaches of the young Canadian nation to the Pacific of the as it attempted to display signs of its sovereignty over a wide expanse of territory and prevent absorption of any parts of its Dominion into the western expansion of its Southern neighbour, the United States of America.

The map thus provides a major update on the economic and cartographic development occurring in the province since Confederation as well as to prior maps of the region.  In particular, it shows the extent of the township surveys completed thus far, as well as depicting the railroads, trails, roads, land  or mining recording offices, post and telegraph offices, mining camps and settlements, as well as marking the locations of indigenous villages and Hudson Bay Company Posts. It is also worth mentioning that the map, as was the case with Brownlee map, used a more sophisticated form of trigonometrical surveying to take into account the mountainous terrain of the area, as opposed to those flatter regions more suitable with a grid survey system.

Finally, although the map has its focus on British Columbia, it also adds two inset maps in the upper right hand corner.  These two insets depict the extant of the Dominion of Canada, as well as showing the geographical relation between Canada and Europe.

This visually striking map of British Columbia is rarely seen on the market with only four institutional libraries being located.  It is truly a find for any map enthusiast.