In the spring of 2024, through the work of (now retired) Acquisition Specialist Robert Morris, the Geography & Map Division acquired a significant set of manuscript maps of the North American west coast created by the Spanish Hezeta-Bodega y Quadra Expedition of 1775. These maps, now known as the Bodega y Quadra 18th century coastal chart collection, 1775-1792 represent some of the earliest detailed European mapping of the North American west coast, ranging from the central Californian coast all the way up to Sitka, Alaska.
In order to full tell the story of these maps, the Geography & Map Division has just published “Charting America’s West Coast: How the Hezeta-Bodega y Quadra Expedition of 1775 introduced Europe to the middle latitudes of North America’s west coast.”
This StoryMap project puts these rare maps into context by recounting the history of the Hezeta-Bodega y Quadra Expedition itself. As the narrative of the journey unfolds, the manuscript maps are utilized along the way to tell the story of the voyage.
The 2024 acquisition added to the Division’s existing holdings of over twenty Spanish survey charts from the late 1700s, many of which are from the 1780s and 1790s. Taken altogether, these early maps represent a significant collection of material that documents the early European history and understanding of North America’s west coast. All material is available for researchers who visit the Geography & Map Reading Room. Researchers can learn more about each specific map using a recently published Finding Aid created by Collections Librarian Richard Devery.
For those who may not be able to visit in person, the Bodega y Quadra 18th century coastal chart collection can also be accessed as digitized images on the Library of Congress website.