Chegeree, Map of the Country about the Mississippi (1755)

This map of the Mississippi River extends from the Middle Mississippi to what is now western Pennsylvania, and from Lake Erie to the mouth of the Ohio River. The map is oriented with north toward the upper right. A handwritten note on the back of the map states: "Map of the country about the Mississippi. Drawn by Chegeree (the Indian) who says he has travelled through the country."  It is not known who Chegeree was but because the map emphasize the strategic location of the Miamis, historians speculate that the author was a member of the Miami nation who made the map for a British official early in the French and Indian War (1754-63). The map and accompanying notes portray the extent of French forces and troop strengths in the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys at the outset of the war, which would have been vital to British forces as France and Britain fought for control of the North American interior. The map covers the area from Lake Erie to the mouth of the Ohio River and shows Indian settlements, distances, a "French Fort" (i.e., Fort Duquesne in what is now downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), the "Falls of Ohio," and the confluence of the Ohio River with the Mississippi River.