Zc20 - The Mississippi-Missouri Valley

Yale Collection of Western Americana

Scope

Use for materials describing the territory purchased in 1803 from France (i.e. the area west of the Mississippi which is drained by tributaries of the Mississippi, the continental divide being the western boundary, the Canadian boundary the northern boundary, and the Arkansas river the Southern boundary). Material on particular state within this area are classed with that state. In general, material that focuses on states adjacent to the Ohio River, to the Mississippi River, or to the Missouri River should class in Zc20. Zc10 should be used only when the scope of the material ranges beyond what I think we would call “The Greater Mississippi Valley.” If uncertain whether to use Zc20 or Zc10, use Zc10.

Specific topics to be classed in Zc20 include:

• Narratives of: De Soto, LaSalle and Tonti, Joutel, Hennepin, Carver, Beltrami, Tabeau, Maximilian and Pike’s Mississippi expedition
• Northern boundary of the U.S., east of the continental divide
• Missouri River and Valley
• Louisiana Province (French and Spanish)
• Louisiana District, 1804-1805
• Louisiana Territory, 1805-1812 (Class works on the state of Louisiana which include material on Louisiana Territory prior to 1803 in Zc22)
• Blount conspiracy
• Wilkinson conspiracy
• Niobrara-Virginia City wagon road
• Biographies of the James brothers, Younger brothers and William Quantrill
• Class materials on West Florida in Zc22

Example

Murray, Charles Augustus, Sir. Travels in North America during the years 1834, 1835 & 1836, including a summer residence with the Pawnee tribe of Indians in the remote prairies of the Missouri … , 1839.

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