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Circa 1843 by John Arrowsmith
This
replica of the rare antique map published in London by John Arrowsmith,
is one of the cornerstones of any Texas map collection. This map
accurately reflects the western border of Texas as being the Rio
Grande River to its source, a claim established by the treaty signed
by Santa Anna after his defeat at the battle of San Jacinto.
At the time of publication these maps reflected
the cutting edge of information about the rapidly growing country,
which had been officially recognized by the United Kingdom in November
of 1840 as a sovereign government. The early land grants which
had been established under Mexican rule were being rapidly transformed
into the first counties.
This map shows the earliest wagon roads
and the El Camino Real, or Old San Antonio Road, which ran from
the French trading posts on the Red River to Nacogdoches and then
down through East Texas to San Antonio de Bexar and on into Old
Mexico. Rivers and topographic details, including the Cross Timbers,
a natural barrier that would protect the Dallas area from roving
bands of Comanche, are clearly marked.
In addition an inset provides details of Galveston Bay, which was
the key for both commerce and immigration, as it was far easier
to sail along the coast from New Orleans to the booming southeast
corner of Texas than it was to arrive overland. Interestingly,
the location of a cotton gin opposite Morgan's Point is marked,
which would have been one of the first in service.
Throughout Texas, and in the lands to the north, the territories
of various Indian tribes are noted, and the western segment of
the Santa Fe Trail is also recorded. In the panhandle, a large
area is marked off, with the notation of a supposed survey in 1833
by Le Grand, who reported that the entire area, which included
most of eastern New Mexico and the Texas panhandle, as being: "naturally
fertile, well wooded and with a fair proportion of water" in
an effort to support a land development scheme to lure settlers
to the area.
$195 framed replica map in darkwood, 31" x
28"
$45 unframed replica map
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