Melish accompanied his map of the region of St. Louis at the same time with glowing words for the city, the largest west of the Mississippi, with a reported census of 5000 inhabitants and 550 houses, “of which a great proportion were well constructed buildings of brick and stone.” He reported that St. Louis, “Standing near the confluence of such mighty streams, the produce of an almost immeasurable extent of back country must flow into it, and that country must be supplied from it, with merchandise.”, A geographical description of the United States, with the contiguous countries, including Mexico and the West Indies; intended as an accompaniment to Melish's map of these countries ... / by John Melish. Philadelphia : The author, 1822.
Collot’s maps of Louisiana were made in 1796 and were most likely planned for military intrigues and colonial conquest, but the work transcended its purpose in thoroughly documenting the earliest settlements of the Illinois Country. These plans were the most detailed to their time., From Collot's work "Voyages dans l'Amérique Septentrionale, ou Description des pays arrosés par le Mississippi, l'Ohio, le Missouri et autres rivières affluentes..." Published in Paris by A. Bertrand, 1826.