Carte De La Californie, circa 1850s

Carte De La Californie compiled by Alexandre Vuillemin, engraved by Georges Erhard Schièble, circa 1850s. 

The region that is now the State of California is one of great geographic diversity. The Pacific Ocean forms the western boundary while the Sierra Nevada Mountains lie to east. The northwest portion is covered in dense fir forests, while the southern areas are hot and arid. The Central Valley, located between California's many mountain ranges is a key agriculture asset for the nation. However without irrigation into the valley such growth would not be possible. That is why the Native peoples who occupied the region were hunters and gathers, without complex settlements. 

In 1542 Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo became the first European to explore the coast. Thirty-seven years later, in 1579, Francis Drake claimed an undetermined length of coast for Britain. However, the territory was mapped out as an extension of New Spain, in 1602, by Sebastian Vizcaino. The northern portion (Southwestern United States) was called Alta California, while the southern portion (Mexico) was called Baja California. After Mexican independence from Spain occurred in 1821, it became a province under the unstable Mexican government. In 1848 it came under United States control in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo which marked the end of the Mexican-American War. California was granted Statehood on September 9, 1850. The building of the First Transcontinental Railroad opened California up to large numbers of new settlers and rapid development. 

Alexandre Vuillemin (1812-1880) was a French cartographer and book editor stationed in Paris. He studied under Auguste Henri Dufour (1798-1865). Despite a prolific career, little else is known about his life. His most important work was the Atlas Illustre de Geographie Commerciale et Industrielle. The life of French engraver Georges Erhard Schieble (1821-1880) is also a mystery. Better known as Erhard, he too had an extensive career, with his maps being published in a variety of atlases, even after his death.