America Discovered: A Historical Atlas of North American Exploration by Derek Hayes

Abstract

tratedwith the abundance of intricacies and exhaustive details, particularly concerning the complexities ofOregon and United States land law.Those details dominate thefirst half of the book and set thestagefor O'Kelly's subsequent, tumultuous legaldifficulties, which comprise the second half. Lansing is a tenacious and thorough researcher ? nearlymatching his historical subject in tenacity ? as he has un doubtedly unearthed everyscrapofpaper even remotely related to theNimrod O'Kelly case and thecompeting land claims thatspawned it. For thosewith patience and interestintheearly historyof settlingthe landand the litigiousness surrounding those settlements ? with a little murder and intrigueon thefar western frontier thrown in forgood measure ? thisbook will not disappoint. Keith Edgerton Montana State University-Billings AMERICA DISCOVERED: A HISTORICAL ATLAS OF NORTHAMERICANEXPLORATION by Derek Hayes Vancouver, British Columbia, Douglas & Mclntyre, 2004. Illustrations, maps, bibliography, index. 224 pages. $40.00 cloth. America Discovered by geographer Derek Hayes is a marvelously crafted visual work. Its 280 color maps range from the controver sial fifteenth-century Vinland map, possibly thefirst map to show a portion of theNorth American continent, to some of the latestand most stunning examples of contemporary images derived from satellites orbiting high above Earth's surface.Text summarizingNorth American exploration accompanies the maps. A handymap catalog in theback of thevolume identifies the author and location of each of OREGON ORIGINALS The Art of Amanda Snyder & Jefferson Tester May 12 - November 27 Exhibit catalogues from the Oregon Historical Society Oregon Originals The Art of Amanda Snyder and Jefferson Tester editedby Robert L. Joki and Marsha T. Matthews Published by theOregon Historical Society 48 pages. 34 full-color artworks. $15.00 paper This BountifulPlace Art /?^Agriculture This Bountiful Place ArtAbout Agriculture, thePermanent Collection editedbyShelley Curtis Published by the Oregon State University College of Agricultural Sciences, in association with the Oregon Historical Society Press 256 pages. 238 images, including 183 full-color artworks. $26.00 paper. Exhibitson view now at theOregon Historical Society For more information, visit www.ohs.org or call 503.306.5198. 308 OHQ vol. 107, no. 2 theoriginalmaps, including the always useful referencenumbers for major collections such as theLibraryofCongress, theBritish Museum, and other archives. Ifone is interested inperusing thehistori cal development of cartographic depictions of the North American continent from itsearliest discoverers to the present,Hayes's collection ranks favorably with similarworks in itsartis ticpresentation. Unfortunately, here ends the resemblance toworks such as TheMapping ofAmerica by Ralph Ehrenberg and Seymour Schwartz or The Atlas of North American Ex ploration byWilliam Goetzmann and Glyn dwrWilliams. These works are authoritative reference works, with textgrounded in a firm knowledge of both theprocess of exploration inNorth America and the development of cartographic representations of the continent. Hayes's book can claim tobe neither authorita tivenor accurate. It is so filledwith errors of omission and commission thatall of thebook's visual splendor cannot come close tomaking up for its inaccuracies. Even thecasual readerwill recognize quickly that thebook isnot what itpurports to be. A claim is made early in thebook? and on its dust jacket ? thatthegeographical knowledge of indigenous people will be an important part of the contents. Yet, of the 280 maps in thebook, five are specificallybased on Indian information and,when the text mentions In dian/explorer contacts, itusually does so in an offhand way by referringoccasionally to information obtained by Indians. Unfortunately, such disingenuous claims are far from theworst feature of the book. The text iswritten in a chattyor even gossipy fashion, as if the author were sharing with readers knowledge that is possessed only by the most erudite. Yet, on numerous occasions, the author demonstrates an appalling lack of familiarity with some of the most essential ele ments ofNorth American exploration and the basics of exploratory cartography.The lack of careful scholarship isapparent almost fromthe beginning. Inhis introduction, Hayes describes how John Wesley Powell, on his exploration of theColorado River, found carved on thewall of "an inaccessible canyon" the inscription "D. Julien,3Mai, 1836."Hayes does not tell us how either Powell or "D. Julien"got to an inaccessible canyon. But he does conclude in his typical,overdramatic fashion that "Powell was not thefirstpast that spot for sure;yetwe know nothing of poor Julien" (p. 7). A quick glance at LeroyHafen's ten-volume collection, TheMountain...