- Title: Map of Harris County Texas
- Author: Houston Map Company, P. Whitty, Surveyor
- Date: 1908
- Condition: See description
- Inches: 27 1/2 x 20 3/4 [Image]
- Centimeters: 69.85 x 52.70 [Image]
- Product ID: 308326
Extraordinarily Rare Promotional Map of Harris County
Loudly proclaiming the virtues of land value prospects, this cadastral map of Harris County Texas is unknown in private hands. Centered on the City of Houston, bounded to the north by Montgomery County, Waller County to the West, Liberty County to the east and Fort Bend, Brazoria and Galveston Counties to the south, the map is a trove of early 19th century land ownership records. Shows a nascent road network and a much more developed railroad network, all centering on the City of Houston. Indicates numerous outlying towns that have been enveloped by the city since. Copyrighted by the Houston map Company, scale in Spanish varas; 4500 Vs. = 1 In.
The map is quite clearly promoting land acquisition, as the text panel to the left proclaims:
BEST BUY NOW
Commissioner of Agriculture Urges
Texans to Acquire Homes
ALL LAND IS ADVANCING
It Will Never Get Cheaper and the
Prices Are Steadily Going Higher
(Houston Post Special) Austin, Texas, April 16.—Colonel R.
T. Milner, commissioner of agriculture, said today:
"I want to put all the emphasis possible on the fact that every fellow in Texas not already in possission (sic) of a home ought to go right now and buy one. Don't wait for land to get any cheaper, because it will go higher. Land which we thought high at $3 and $5 per acre ten years ago is selling now at $15 and $25, and in some places the advance has been much greater than that.
"More people are coming to Texas now than ever before. We are daily getting letters from persons living in the Middle Northern States and the Northwestern States expressing a desire to come to Texas and asking for information pertaining to the soil and other things naturally concerning those in search of a new country. Nearly all of these persons are farmers. When they reach here and find land as good as they left, 75 per cent cheaper, and get acquainted with the people already here, they begin to write back home of the advantages in Texas, and hence a constant tide sets in and keeps on increasing; and this tide will never cease until land values here go to where they are now in Illinois. They have found out at the North that sectionalism and North hatred no longer exist here.
"In 1860 Iowa only had a population of 674,913; the last census gave her 2,231,853. In 1860 Nebraska had 28,841 people, and in 1900 there were over a million. The States of Idaho California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and the Dakotas have received nearly all their immigration since the civil war. The last two censuses show a decrease in population in Nevada.
"It is my opinion that all these Western and Northwestern States have about reached their maximum of population and wealth for several years; at least, their progress will be slow compared to Texas. The tide has even turned from California to South Texas, where citrus fruits can be raised as cheaply as in the 'Golden State.' The next twenty years will witness the greatest tide of immigration to Texas that ever flowed into any State in this Union.
"I look far a stampede to Texas when the Panama canal will have been completed that will surpass any migration of people known to history. Hence, I would advise every man and boy in Texas who expects to make a living by tilling the soil to go right now and buy a piece of land on any terms possible
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The Flowering of Houston
In 1908, Houston was a rapidly growing city on the cusp of major transformations, with a population of 78,800 according to the U.S. census (1910), making it the largest city in Texas, surpassing Galveston. During this period, Houston was undergoing a substantial building boom that reshaped its downtown and surrounding areas. Notable developments included the construction of a 16-floor skyscraper designed by Samuel F. Carter, which became the tallest building in Houston at the time, as well as the City Auditorium and Harris County Courthouse.
New subdivisions were being developed along streetcar lines, primarily expanding southward. Economically, Houston was establishing itself as a regional powerhouse. The city was emerging as a center for the oil industry, with many new oil companies setting up their home bases there. The port was growing in importance, bolstered by Congress's recent appropriation of $1 million for work on the Houston Ship Channel. Additionally, Houston's railroad infrastructure was significant, with freight wagons and railroads converging on the city to transport goods like cotton, sugar, timber, and hides.
Transportation was evolving rapidly in Houston; electric streetcars were in operation, facilitating urban expansion. By this time, the city had about 80 automobiles, with the first one having arrived in 1901. A speed limit of 8 mph had been set by the city council, and police had begun using motorcycles to enforce it. Culturally and educationally, Houston's landscape was developing as well. The Houston Symphony was established in 1910, and Rice Institute (now Rice University) was preparing to begin classes in 1912. The Houston Museum and Scientific Society, which would later become the Houston Museum of Natural Science, had recently been organized. While the city was growing rapidly, it lacked certain modern urban planning elements; there was no zoning ordinance in place, which would later characterize Houston's development. A new master plan for Houston thoroughfares emphasized a loop system, foreshadowing future transportation developments.
Houston in 1910 was a city in transition, evolving from a frontier town into a modern metropolis. Its rapid growth, diverse population, and burgeoning industries were laying the foundation for its future as a major American city.
Rarity
A handful of institutional copies - Yale, University of Houston, Houston Public Library and Tennessee State Library and Archives. Not on RBH.
Condition
Age toned, old folds with minimal loss, marginal edge chipping. Manuscript additions at lower left centered on Thos. Earle, Jr. Fine condition for a map of this rarity.
