ABOUT THE MAP

Seneca Ray Stoddard was a significant nineteenth-century artist, photographer, and writer known for his work focused on the Adirondack mountains, lakes, and landscapes, and his contribution to the creation of the Adirondack Park. This piece is one of the most accurate wilderness maps of the region from the early 1880s. Stoddard traveled the Adirondacks after being hired by Verplanck Colvin to take photographs of the region for the New York State Topographical Survey.

The map shows the geographic features of the region, with the center of the map being the highest point in the Adirondacks, Mount Marcy. There are mountains with dashed lines to show altitude, lakes with contour lines, rivers, and ponds. Stoddard also includes man-made features of the region, such as railroads, roads, county lines filled in with contrasting colors, towns, and post offices. These features provide useful information to travelers, who would use maps to guide their journeys.

It is framed much like a painting or other work of art, with a detailed border and eye-catching title and caption. This choice may indicate Stoddard’s belief in the Adirondacks themselves as a beautiful work of art. The map’s area goes beyond what was considered to be the wilderness, indicating the vastness of the Adirondacks. This map, among other works created by Stoddard, reflects his desire to conserve the region and promote the tourism industry. Stoddard had excellent map-making skills, and in 1873 had published a collection of maps and illustrations of the Adirondacks in a guidebook titled The Adirondacks: Illustrated. Stoddard’s maps and illustrations contributed to the success of the growing region’s tourism industry, as well as the advancement of conservation efforts which led to the eventual formation of the Adirondack Park.
-Noah Korman

 

Seneca Ray Stoddard
Map of the Adirondack Wilderness, 1881
Engraving, 77 x 61 cm., folded to 16 x 10 cm., in cloth-covered boards
Owen D. Young Library Special Collections
St. Lawrence University