United States General Land Office (Theodore Franks, Draftsman) Map of the United States and Territories. 1866

United States General Land Office (Theodore Franks, Draftsman)

Map of the United States and Territories

Engraved map with original hand outline color

Washington, D.C.: General Land Office, Department of the Interior, 1866

30 x 55 1/2 inches sheet; 34 x 60 inches framed.

The Federal Government’s survey and township system expanded through much of the west, to the benefit of veterans, land speculators and settlers.  The government’s express policy of purchasing lands from the Native Americans to extinguish their claims is also reflected in the reduced territory allocated to the remaining tribes.  Texas did not participate in the township system, since it already had its own organizing system  based on Spanish land grants.

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