BygoneMaps is in the process of georeferencing original 1850s maps of the Northwest. These maps were drawn using the field notes written by the original surveyors. Some of the original maps look like old pirate maps. What is georeferencing, you ask? It’s the process of taking a map image and matching coordinate locations to known GPS positions. This allows you to explore an area and see your GPS position pinpointed on the historic landscape. It’s like a form of time-travel. things you would have never paid attention to before start to have explanation and purpose. An old row of oak trees in a playground can be seen on the map to be artifacts of old roadway. A lake was once a stranded portion of a shifting river. A brushy area with fruit trees can be identified as a pioneer home site. The maps are also tools for understanding family genealogy. They allow us to explore which families lived next to each other. This is the history that you would never understand just reading a book. When you can see a road cutting across a field going to a neighbor’s house you can begin to understand the connections people had at this time. You can imagine the horse drawn buggy loaded with children jostling down the dirt road bringing up dust in the summer and splattered mud in the winter. These georeferenced maps can be explored in your neighborhood or as you travel. With the Transparency overlays you can sit at home to explore and learn from the maps.
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