University of Denver Spring 2026

Seeing the Past Through Maps

Maps play a rich yet often overlooked role in history. Whether made for military strategy or urban reform, to encourage settlement or to investigate disease, maps both reflect and mediate change. They give meaning to information by translating it into visual form, and in so doing reveal decisions about how the world ought to be seen. In her book, “A History of America in 100 Maps,” excerpts from which are shown here, DU history professor Susan Schulten offers an eclectic and selective discussion of the many ways in which maps have been used in the past. Each map included in this volume grew out of contemporary circumstances and concerns, and as such has the potential to both illuminate and complicate our understanding of history. Examined in context and with care, these artifacts offer unrivaled windows into the past. As the U.S. celebrates its 250th birthday, a DU professor takes us on a visual tour of American history. Schulten, a nationally recognized scholar of American history who has taught at DU since 1996, is currently serving as the Colorado state historian. Her appointment coincides with Colorado’s celebration of its 150th year of statehood, just as the U.S. marks its 250th year of independence.

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UNIVERSITY OF DENVER MAGAZINE | SPRING 2026