Rare Nautical Maps of Pacific Coast Exploration | Maritime Museum

Submitted by the Event Organizer

The Maritime Museum, already home to a dozen beautiful ship scale models, opens a new free exhibition of rare nautical maps on July 1 until October 31, 2011.

Museum is open 10 am to 4 pm, everyday.

Mapping The Pacific Coast showcases rare, historic maps, books and illustrations of Pacific Coast exploration, dated 1544 through 1802. These historic stories are told through original maps of the time and illustrations – the earliest being woodcuts and the majority being copperplate engravings, many in original hand color.

• Maps represent the  accumulation of knowledge leading to Thomas Jefferson’s commission of Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery.
• Includes maps from dangerous ocean voyages by Spanish, French, English and Russian explorers
• Chronicles the race to discover the northwest Passage
• Features sightings of “sea monsters,” and the very first contacts between Native Americans and Europeans.
• Tells dramatic stories in their own right, with references to explorers such as Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, Sir Francis Drake, and Captain James Cook.
• Enhanced by an audio tour of selected maps narrated by collector Henry Wendt
• Accompanied by a beautifully printed and illustrated catalog, describing each map and document.

Mapping the Pacific Coast was originally shown at the Sonoma County museum in 2004, and has been on tour around the country ever since. Other venues have included the Mystic Seaport Museum, in Mystic, CT. and the Maritime Museum of San Diego. Following its exhibition in San Francisco, the exhibit will move to its permanent home in Oregon, at the Columbia River Maritime Museum.

About the Venue: San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

Located at the west end of Fisherman’s Wharf, in San Francisco. The park includes a magnificent fleet of historic ships, visitor center, Aquatic Park Historic District, and library.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.