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Butler. Map of Gold Region in California. 1851

$ 8,500.00
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Benjamin F. Butler (1818-1893)
Map of the Gold Region California
San Francisco: 1851
Original hand-color lithograph
Sheet: 18 ½” x 17 3/8”, Framed: 26 1/2” x 33 1/2”
Fine folding lithographed map with original hand color in full (some separation along folds, browned). Original paper-covered boards, preserved in a quarter red morocco slipcase, marbled boards, with printed paper label on the spine.

Provenance: From the important cartographical library of Warren Heckrotte, his sale, Rare Cartography, Exploration and Voyages, Part II, December 3, 2015, Lot 107.

First edition, first state. Rare map covering northern California with details of the gold region. The map is a portion of Butler's Map of the State of California, published the same year, and is made from the same stone. Streeter calls the latter map the earliest recorded state map of California. The present copy is the earlier of two states of Butler's Gold Region in Warren Heckrotte's collection, and he describes the differences in detail: "Call earlier state A; later state B. On state A a branch of the upper San Joaquin has the name Chouchillas. On state B this has been removed and a new river off of the San Joaquin just below the town of Mariposa has been added and named Chouchilla. Just below that has been added the river named Frezenau. A creek running off that has the name C. Gold G... On state B running north from the San Joaquin just west of Washington City is a line called Fine G. Gulch. On state A, between the Mariposa and Merced rivers is a river named Little Mariposa R.; this has been removed on state B. On state A, running off to the south from the south branch of the Tuolumne is a Moccasin Run, a Rattlesnake C. and between Rattlesnake C. and the south branch of the Tuolumne is Gold V. On state B, the course of Moccasin Run has been changed, and the name changed to Mocca. Flat. Rattlesnake now runs off to the north from Mocca. Flat and beyond that and parallel is a Cobbs C; Gold V. has been removed. On state A, Camp Seco is located a little north and east of the town of Sonora. On state B, this has been removed and now Camp Seco is found between Mocca. Flat and the south branch of the Toulumne." W-GR 186. Streeter sale no. 2658, reproduced, but later state.