Samuel Augustus Mitchell, Map of Texas, 1849

Mitchell’s superb atlas map of Texas—one of the prize maps from his New Universal Atlas—shows the region in 1845, the last year of the Texas Republic. The sovereign state had proclaimed its large expanse from the Gulf of Mexico, to the Red River in the north, along the Sabine River to the east, as well as conjointly running along the Rio Grande River all the way west into present day New Mexico. In December of 1845 the United States annexed Texas and officially admitted it into the Union as a state in February of 1846.

This scarce map of Texas shows a well-settled eastern portion and vast tracts of unsettled land to the west. Inscribed in the upper left corner of the map is a note on Alexander LeGrand’s exploration of the High Plains in 1833: “This tract of Country as far as North Canadian Fork was explored by LeGrand in 1833, it is naturally fertile, well wooded, and with a fair proportion of water.”

The fine details of this map are rounded out by the far stretching counties portrayed in the west that will drastically change in the coming years, Presidio del Norte et de las Yuntas (El Paso) being depicted at the extreme western boundary of the region, and the denotation of the vast expanse of Native American tribes. Various historical details have been indicated on this map in reference to the fertility of the land in the east as well as the significant presence of indigenous tribes in the west like the Apaches and Comanches. The reputation of these tribes created a considerable threat to outsiders settling this region. Another notable addition to this map is the depiction of Fort Alamo near San Antonio de Bexar. The inclusion of this legendary fort comments directly on the rich and complex history of Texas and its arduous struggle for autonomy.

Prior to the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), Mexico considered the border between Mexico and Texas to be the Nueces River. All of this changed when General Zachary Taylor crossed the Nueces River and advanced his troops to the Rio Grande del Norte, which America had considered to be the actual border. The Rio Grande River was the confirmed border after the Mexican-American War. Texas at this time assumed parts of present-day New Mexico and Colorado whose regions also coincide with the vital river. The inset in the lower left shows Texas north of the Red River, encompassing cities like Albuquerque and Santa Fe, and the renowned Santa Fe Trail (here designated as “The Road to Missouri”). This claim was held by Texas until it was formally changed to its present state configuration after the Compromise of 1850, just a year after this map was printed.

The present map is a great example of this famous and desirable early county map of Texas, ultimately reflecting the national preoccupation with western expansion and Manifest Destiny in the mid-nineteenth century.

Refs.: Phillips, Atlases, 797; Day, James M. The Map Collection of the Texas State Archives, 1527-1845, #25, p.40.