Lost States

Last week I wrote about How the States Got Their Shapes. It turns out that the fifty states we know and love were not the only states that we might have seen... Over the course of our history, many other states have been proposed, only to be shot down or ignored.

Michael Trinklein has written a book about these failed attempts: Lost States: Real Quests for American Statehood. Heavily illustrated, this book tells the tale of would be state-builders and forgotten corners of geography, with wit and humor. Some of these attempts were very serious, some no more than pranks. Here are two examples:

The colonists who followed Daniel Boone through the Cumberland Gap in the 1770s called their coloney "Transylvania" (wich means "through the woods" and has nothing to do with vampires). After the start of the Revolutionary War, representatives went to the Continental Congress seeking recognition, but Virginia, who claimed most of that land, would hear nothing of it. Later, the area was rearranged into Kentucky and Tennessee.



Many new states have been proposed by carving up or rearranging already existing states. Often because residents of a region feel neglected by the rest of the state government. Folks in norther California often feel ignored and underappreciated by the rest of the state. The same goes for southern Oregon. In 1941 a new state, Jefferson (to keep Washington company?), was proposed. A cabal attempted to declare independence on December 4... but were overshadowed by the events of December 7.



For more samples, visit the author's website.

Oregon Inflated

New York, Texas, California and Alabama are not the only states with an inflated view of themselves... in this illustration from The Oregonian, the state of Oregon barely leaves room for the rest of the United States...



The Oregonian: Look out, Oregon, for a global warming land rush

The prediction caused a collective grimace among the mayors, city councilors, engineers and planners in the audience. By 2060, a Metro economist said, the seven-county Portland area could grow to 3.85 million people -- nearly double the number here now.

Thanks Katie

Mmmmm... Beer Maps

My favorite Pacific Northwest blogger, Michael5000, sent this photo to me the other day:



"Thought of you on a beer run yesterday -- this is a new (to me, at least) product of Deschutes brewery; the faux topo map on the six-pack carton is a version of the company logo (which you can see on the handle). Reasonably well done, I thought -- a good addition to your collection of carto-marketing?"

A good addition indeed! In fact Mr. 5000 inspired me to seek out further examples of maps on beer. I made a special trip to my favorite beer and wine shop that specializes in designer and craft brews from microbreweries around the country and picked up four six-packs of beer that I had never tried before, based solely on the fact that they included a map in their package design. Its a tough job, but I'm willing to go the extra mile, for you, my carto-friends.

Here are two from Colorado: This India Pale Ale from Avery features a map of the trade route to India that made the British Empire. In contrast, this Jackman American Pale Ale from the Left Hand Brewing Company shows what makes America great: Motorcycles! (With a background of a map of western states, including Colorado.)

And two from Bell's Brewery in Michigan. Bell's Lager of the Lakes features an early explorer's map of the Great Lakes region, while their Third Coast Beer gives us a view of Michigan's upper peninsula and the Keeweenaw Peninsula on Lake Superior and Oceania County on Michigan's Lake Michigan coast. The Great Lakes are often referred to as America's "third coast".

While these beers provide excellent use of maps in their packaging design, they were only fair, if somewhat disappointing in flavor. I cannot recommend cartography as the best criteria for beer selection... but I'm willing to keep trying

Manhattan Rose to the Occasion

Aware that the Island of Manhattan has lately been taking a holday... Michael5000 noticed a special visitor at the Portland Rose Festival:




#194

Oregon: the Quilter State

In addition to the Kentucky Democratic Primary tomorrow, folks will also be voting in Oregon. Barack Obama is expected to win this primary.

Oregon is one of the handful of states I have never visited, so I only have these two map postcards:



The only resident of Oregon that I sort of "know" is blogger, Michael5000; art quilter, bible-reader, and pop quizzer. He loves his home state, and his home town of Portland (City of Roses). However, unhappy with his state's boring flag, he sponsored a contest to design a new flag. The winner: