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times: part of an 1883 map of Montana by George F. Cram. |
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University
offers series of
17 historical Montana maps
A new
series of Montana maps offers tantalizing glimpses of how Big Sky
Country first caught the attention of cartographers, moving from tribal
territory to full statehood.
Printed by UM, the 17 maps begin with a 1778 continental scene in
which the Montana area is mentioned only with the note “Mountains
of Bright Stones.” The final 1898 map shows a state filled with
fledgling towns and counties.
“These maps are great for anyone interested in Montana history,”
said Sally Thompson, director of UM’s Lifelong Learning Project,
which produced the series. “A lot of these maps have never been
available in Montana before.”
The 14-by-20-inch maps can be purchased at The Bookstore at UM for
$95. Educators receive a 10 percent discount. To order, call the Bookstore
at (406) 243-1234 or (888) 333-1995, or go online to http://umtbookstore.com.
Thompson started the map project five years ago while working on a
research fellowship for the Montana Committee for the Humanities.
Since then, she and Kim Lugthart, co-editor of the series, have visited
map archives across North America to complete the collection.
The series includes the Montana portion of an 1806 map from the Lewis
and Clark Expedition. Thompson said UM has exclusive rights to publish
this portion of the map.
She said the series is perfect for educators, historians or people
interested in Montana history. The maps lend themselves to discussions
such as exploration, the fur trade, treaties, settlement, mining,
Indian wars, railroads and statehood.
The map series is the first publication of the newly resurrected University
of Montana Press, which had discontinued work in the 1970s. University
Executive Vice President Bob Frazier said the UM Press label was brought
back to recognize the growing prowess and expertise of Printing and
Graphic Services, which prints University publications.
The Lifelong Learning Project, which Thompson directs, works with
tribes to produce quality resource materials about American Indians.
These products include Web sites, videos and print media. The project
is based within UM’s Center for Continuing Education.
The project team currently is at work on a collector’s edition
of regional maps, a Five Valleys series and a map history of the Columbia
River Country.
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