The map I overlaid onto a present-day Google Maps view of Colorado seems to be primarily artistic in nature with geographic accuracy taking a backseat to the inclusion of historical anecdotes and images on the map to recount parts of Colorado’s history. This map’s primarily artistic and historic focus reveals how people viewed Colorado and remembered the state’s history around 1935, the year in which this map was published. Its lack of geographic accuracy as compared to Google Maps reveals how precise distance and geography were likely not seen as vital parts of Colorado’s history in comparison to chronicling milestones of the state’s history and highlighting the stories of historically important cities and people in Colorado. It seems that the history of Colorado in popular memory, at least in 1935, was based upon presenting great people, events, and stories in an appealing and flowing narrative. In this way, this map provides an excellent window into the popular historiography of Colorado when compared to a present-day map of the state.
One weakness of georeferencing is that some maps are difficult to read when overlaid on another map. The map I overlaid in this activity includes a substantial amount of text that is relatively small in size. When overlaid on another map, this small text because almost unreadable unless you zoom in an enormous amount. This text can also obscure features on other map layers even when the overlaid map is somewhat transparent.
There are some inaccuracies with georeferencing because of the distortion a map undergoes when it is georeferenced onto another map. Some elements are distorted in the process, altering the original structure of the map the mapmaker intended readers to see. This can hinder the study of a map as a window into the perception of the mapmaker on the mapped area.
Some places with relatively unchanging landmarks would map much better in a georeferencing system than areas with constantly changing features. Rivers, roads, and building, among other landmarks, have locations that can change significantly over time. Places that have undergone minimal change throughout the time between when the layered maps were produced are most conducive to georeferencing as inaccuracies and distortions can be minimized. However, georeferencing maps of regions that have undergone significant change can provide an excellent opportunity for comparing maps and analyzing how the physical terrain and the priorities of mapmakers have changed over time.
Wonderful reflection. Indeed these types of maps don’t privelege “scientific accuracy” – nor should they. Their purpose is quite different.