Map of the Month

Mitchell - 1870

Place names from 1870.

Mitchell’s New General Atlas of 1870 Included a map of Arkansas, the northwestern corner of which is shown here. Printed by Samuel August Mitchell with some new maps from R.A. Campbell and H.F. Walling, the atlas shows numerous communities that have faded away or that have change their names.

To the southwest of Fayetteville is shown Sweet Home, which is now better known as Prairie Grove. To the southeast are St. Patricks, St. Paul and St. Peter. St. Patrick got shortened to Patrick in the 20th century and is now barely a place name; St. Paul has survived, but St. Peter doesn't appear to exist any longer.

(The digital version of this map is from the David Rumsey Map Collection and copyright © 2000 by Cartography Associates. Images may be reproduced or transmitted, but not for commercial use. For commercial use or commercial republication, contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.)

Tanner - 1825

Place names from 1870.

Three years before Fayetteville was founded, Henry Tanner produced A New American Atlas in 1825 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The atlas included 32 maps covering most of the present-day America. The above portion is from the second edition of the map of North America.

Present-day northwest Arkansas was still held by the western Cherokees. The map also shows a trace line approximating the route that Major Stephen H. Long followed in surveying the west during 1819-20. Long's master map of that expedition became a hallmark for printers of the day, and showing Long's route on the map leant it a voice of authority.

Other notes: Tanner spells "Arkansa" without the final "s," one of the three most common spellings. "Arkansas" and "Arkansaw" could also be found during this time period. This map has a relatively early use of Ozark Mountains, and refers to the Ouachita Mountains as "Massern Mount." The White River's northern bend is misplaced and should bend up into Missouri before coming back south to Fayetteville.

(The digital version of this map is from the David Rumsey Map Collection and copyright © 2000 by Cartography Associates. Images may be reproduced or transmitted, but not for commercial use. For commercial use or commercial republication, contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.)