X Marks the Spot

This week I spent most of my time going through all of the maps and facsimiles of maps that could be used for a potential researcher. I was surprised by how many the FHS archives have acquired! Although my finding guide has to do with Native Americans in Florida, I have learned that many of the so called Seminoles were in fact generations of dislocated and conquered Indians throughout the Southeastern United States who eventually made there way to Florida. Many of the maps I have come across are of states such as North Carolina, Georgia, and Northern Florida. The oldest and most impressive map I have come across is from 1701. It is title, " Carte des Environs du Mississippi". Although it is not focused on Florida, I included it in my finding guide and added it to PastPerfect because it shows towns and Indian territories and their populations. Most of the maps I came across were from the Seminole Wars. One such map was of Florida in 1850, and included such markings as army routes, water route milage, and Indian forts and trails. This could be useful to researchers of Native American history by studying indirectly (through army tactics for example) the history of the Seminole Wars.