Map, mis-dated

Two maps of the Missouri Territory were either made with a time machine, or one of them is a wee bit older.

Between 1812 and 1820, the United States wholly claimed the Red River of the South as part of the Missouri Territory, with the Colorado River in Texas and the continental divide partially as the supposed southern boundary. Spain, of course, pretty much said "no dice" and by 1819, the Red River formed the southern boundary instead, except in Arkansas Territory (1820 to 1836) and Louisiana (statehood, 1812). This was agreed to in the Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819: in exchange for the "loss" of territory in today's Texas and a promise that Americans would not illegally settle south of the Red River, Spain ceded Florida to the United States.

Therefore, there are two atlas maps by Mathew Carey: one from 1814 with the "probable southern boundary" and the other most likely from 1819, with the Adams-Onis boundary highlighted. The Library of Congress dates both of them from 1814, however. Could Carey see into the future?

I hate pointing out these kinds of errors, and of course I don't know the provenance of the map. Both might be illustrative, and drawn even later than 1819. Who knows?

Thank you for reading this really boring post. :)

Mathew Carey drew this map in 1814, with the southern boundary of the Missouri Territory encompassing today's Texas (LOC).

Here's the same map by Mathew Carey, with the southern boundary of the Missouri Territory at the Red River as per the Adams-Onis Treaty... which is why this map must have been reconfigured in 1819, not 1814 as the Library of Congress suggests (LOC).