Mapping California

The Pacific Coast of North America eluded explorers and geographers for centuries. Often mapmakers based their representations on either explorers' projections or their misunderstanding of native descriptions. The five maps below tell an interesting story about the history of the mapping of California. Pay attention to the dates of each map. How can you explain what you see?

Map 1

Source: Giacomo Gastaldi. ''VNIVERSALE.'' Venice, 1546. John Carter Brown Library, Brown University.

Map 2

Source: Cornelis van Wytfliet. ''GRANATA NOVA ET CALIFORNIA.'' 1597. John Carter Brown Library, Brown University.

Map 3

Source: Briggs, Henry. ''The North part of AMERICA Conteyning Newfoundland, new England, Virginia, Florida, new Spaine, and Noua Francia, wth ye riche Iles of Hispaniola, Cuba, Jamaica, and Port Rieco, on the South, and upon ye west, the large and goodly Iland of California." From Samuel Purchas, Purchas His Pilgrmes. 1625. John Carter Brown Library, Brown University.

In the bottom left corner, the map reads, ''California sometymes supposed to be part of ye westerne continent but since by Spanish Carte taken by ye hollanders it is found to be a goodly Islande: the length of the west shoare being about 500 leagues from Cape Mendocino to the South Cape thereof called Cape St. Lucas: as appeareth both by that Spanish Chart and by the relation of Francis Gaule whereas in the ordinaire Charts it is sett downe to be 1700 Leagues.''

Map 4

Source: Moxon, James, A New Mapp of America Devided ..., 1687. John Carter Brown Library, Brown University.

Map 5

Source: Didier Robert de Vaugondy, ''Amérique septentrionale, dressé, sur les Relations les plus modernes des Voyageurs et Navigateurs, et divisée suivant les differentes possessions des Européens.'' 1750. John Carter Brown Library, Brown University.

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Questions:

1. How is California depicted in each of the maps above?

2. What is your hypothesis for why mapmakers changed their representation of California?

3. How would you go about researching whether your hypotheses are true?