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A. R. Roessler
& M.V. Mittendorfer, Circa 1874
In the decades after the civil war, Texas enjoyed
spectacular growth as settlers from back east poured in and the
railroads opened many areas for more activity. Anton Roessler, a
Hungarian born Texan and secretary of the Texas Land & Immigration
Company was one of the best cartographers in Texas in the 1860's
and 1870's. His maps were considered the best then, and are prized
today, for their wealth of information on geology, soil conditions
and agricultural prospects. This map includes details on deposits
of over a score of minerals - even broken down county by county.
For the benefit of settlers, the types of soils to be found such
as "loam unequaled for its excellent pasturage" and "prairie
soil especially adapted for the raising of cereals" are marked
as are the varieties and locations of various trees, from swamps
to Post Oaks and Mesquite.
All of this is overlaid on a detailed map reflecting
the political and commercial situation of the day - completed and
projected rail lines are recorded, as are the wagon roads offering
mail service, even broken down by whether the frequency was once,
twice or three times a week. The Texas & Pacific Rail Road Reservation
spreads across west Texas in anticipation of the completion of the
transcontinental railroad. The Panhandle includes the Hunting Range
of the Comanches and Wegefarth and Greer counties, the former disbanded
and the latter given to Oklahoma after a federal dispute over the
true boundary of Texas. Vignettes of the General Land Office at
Austin and original State Capitol building, destroyed by fire in
1881, are included. Texas is shown as having 268,684 square miles,
of which only 196,299 had been organized.
$785 framed replica map in darkwood, approximately
44" x 41"
$485 unframed replica map
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