History
Stephen F. Austin’s Map of Texas is a landmark of Texas and cartographic history. The 1830 map, which is the first edition, is the first map of Texas to be printed in the United States, and the second map of Texas to ever be printed. Stephen F. Austin compiled and drew the map over a five year period; as part of his land grant agreement with the Mexican government he had to prepare a map depicting rivers, coasts, and characteristics of the land. An additional benefit was to encourage proper settlement and governance of the colony. Austin’s Map was an advertising tool to draw settlers to Texas and was the first to show the result of American immigration into Texas. In an 1829 letter to Ramón Músquiz (the political head of the Department of Texas), Austin described his reason for working on the map:
"My purpose has been to add to the fund of geographic knowledge of the Mexican territory and to make known our beloved Texas."
This scarce map holds significant value to researchers of Texas history, cartography, and printmaking. It provides an early snap shot of the territory’s boundaries, settlements, and waterways. It was the first map to depict many of the early Texian settlements, including San Felipe de Austin (Capital of Austin’s Colony), Harrisburg, Brazoria, Gonsales [sic], and Waco Village. Significantly the map provides a detailed and accurate illustration of Texas derived from Austin’s years as an empresario, the person responsible for enticing settlement to the frontier regions of Mexico under Spanish, later Mexican, rule. At the time of printing, Austin’s Map was the most accurate depiction of the Texas river system, including locating the mouth of the Sabine River and the mouth of the Rio Grande within a degree of accuracy only surpassed by modern mapping techniques.