North America. Wyld (James), Map of the Colony of British Columbia..., and the Gold Fields, 1858

North America. Wyld (James), Map of the Colony of British Columbia and the British & American Territory West of the Rocky Mountains, Including Vancouvers Island and the Gold Fields, September 10th, 1858, lithographic map with contemporary outline colouring, sectionalised and laid on linen, inset maps of the Strait of San Juan de Fuca and of the British Possessions in North America, key plate showing gold and coal deposits, slight dust soiling, 510 x 660 mm, endpaper of an advertisement for Wyld's maps, contemporary cloth boards with publisher's printed label to the upper siding, worn and stained, spine frayed and mostly lacking with a later manuscript title label, cover size 185 x 110 mm

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One of the earliest maps of the Pacific Northwest, published to coincide with the Fraser gold rush. The key plate shows that the primary purpose of the map was to highlight and encourage the prospecting for gold, but it also identifies coal and mineral deposits available in the region. There are three recorded states of the map, all of which are rare. There are very few institutional copies recorded, with Yale, The University of British Columbia, and The Idaho State Archives having a copy of the first state. The British Library has a copy of the second and the John Warkentin Map Collection at York University, Canada has a copy of the third, this is an example of the third state.

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