Map of the Hydrographical Basin of the Upper Mississippi River

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A bloodstained 1843 map of the Mississippi River Basin found in the pocket of abolitionist David Hoyt, who was murdered by pro-slavery forces near Lawrence, Kansas in August of 1856. The map is printed in black ink on off-white paper and consists of only the lower half of the full published map, which extends to Lake Superior. At lower left is the map's title and publication information. The map depicts the states of Illinois and Missouri, Iowa Territory, and the lands of several indigenous tribes labeled as "Kikapoo Indian Country," "Iowa Indian Country," "Sac and Fox Indian Country," and so on. The map has been folded vertically and horizontally several times and there are two large bloodstains on either side of the center vertical fold, with smaller blood stains throughout.

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