1857 Edition of Parker's Handbook to Minnesota, along with the Special Edition of Colton's Map, with "Corrections Furnished by N.H. Parker." This Example from the James J. Hill Library.

First and only edition of Parker's important early treatment of Minnesota Territory, along with his revision of Colton's map of the Territory.

The map is an important early map of Minnesota Territory, prior to the conception of the Dakota Territory. Minnesota is still dominated in the north and west by massive counties, including Lake, St. Louis, Itasca, and Pembina County, which shows as including most of North Dakota.

Pembina is North Dakota's earliest settlement and is across the Red River from Minnesota. It can be seen at the top of the present map.

The county configuration dates to 1856 before Isanti County was split from Ramsey County. According to the Newberry Library's Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, the large region in the southwest of the territory should be Brown County, however, Brown is given its own separate county in the southwest.

Earlier editions of the Colton show Doty County in the northeast of the state, which had been theoretically created from Itasca in 1855, but was very shortly thereafter renamed Newton, and almost immediately extinct in favor of St. Louis County, which is shown on this map. This may constitute the corrections that was furnished by Parker.

The map includes extensive annotations, especially in the West, including the proposed route of the Northern Pacific. Includes railroads, common roads, canals, villages, post offices, etc.

A great Minnesota Territory map.