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The Rocky Mountain Map Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study and appreciation of maps and other items of cartographic interest. The Society was formed in 1991 and is based in Denver, Colorado. Most meetings are held on Tuesday evenings at the Denver Public Library, 5th Floor, Gates Room, at 5:30 PM.

Map Fair Of The West
Denver, Colorado
July 28 & 29, 2012

Organized by The Rocky Mountain Map Society

Special Events

Saturday, 2:00 p.m.   Free lecture by Mr. Chris Lane
Co-owner of the Philadelphia Print Shop's Denver Gallery
Frequent appraiser for the Antiques Roadshow TV Series.

The Political Development of the Trans-Mississippi United States in Period Maps

Learn about the transformation of the American West from three foreign territories to nineteen states and four U.S. territories, as meticulously documented by nineteenth century mapmakers.

Christopher W. Lane is co-owner of The Philadelphia Print Shop, managing their Denver branch, The Philadelphia Print Shop West. During his 30 years in the map and print trade, Chris has written numerous articles and books on related topics, including Panorama of Pittsburgh, winner of the 2009 Ewell Newman Award from the American Historical Print Collectors Society. Chris has curated a number of print and map exhibitions, in the U.S. and abroad, and also has lectured widely to numerous map and print societies and at national conferences and symposiums. Beginning in 1997 and continuing to today, Chris has appeared, along with his partner, Donald H. Cresswell, as the regular print and map appraisers for public television’s Antiques Roadshow.

Contact Mr. Lane

Sea of the West; The Mediterranean Sea of North America, that wasn’t.

The "Mer de l’Ouest" (Sea of the West) was a Mediterranean size sea first placed on maps of North America in 1700. How this sea was conceived and its subsequent 100 year history will be discussed in detail using frequent map examples from the author’s recent book, Mer de l’Ouest, the Last Great Cartographic Myth, Published by MapRecord Publications

Don McGuirk MD is a retired pediatrician and a resident of Denver. His interest in antique maps spans 31 years. He has written multiple articles and has presented papers from San Francisco to Vienna on this topic. His recent book has been published on a flash drive to allow zoom imaging of the maps presented and instant access, through the internet, to the references provided in the book.

Dr. McGuirk is also an avid bike rider, has an MBA from Regis University (Denver) and was a Colonel in the United States Army Reserves.

Both lectures are free and will take place at the Denver Public Library, 5th Floor, Gates Room.

PLEASE NOTE: This site provides preliminary information about the Map Fair Of The West. Please check back as the event date approaches, and the event planning process reveals more details.