About this piece
- Title: Map of Texas and Indian Territory
- Author: H.H. Hardesty & Company
- Date: 1882
- Condition: Very good - Issued folds. Small tears throughout, expertly repaired.
- Inches: 19 1/8 x 25 [Image]
- Centimeters: 48.57 x 63.50 [Image]
- Product ID: 308638
An exceptionally detailed map of Texas and Indian Territory, including an inset of West Texas at the same scale, offering comprehensive representation of roads, completed railroads, and proposed railroad lines. Tom Green County is depicted in its original, expansive form, prior to its later division into Sterling, Irion, Coke, and Midland counties. In southwestern Indian Territory, Greer County is illustrated with two boundary lines: one claimed by the State of Texas and the other by the United States. This longstanding dispute was ultimately settled by the Supreme Court, which upheld the United States’ claim, resulting in Greer County becoming part of Indian Territory. This map is from the 1883 edition of Hardesty’s atlas, published before the Texas map was reduced in size.
Background on Creator
H.H. Hardesty and Company, a prominent American publishing firm active in the late 19th century. The company is best known for producing Hardesty's Historical and Geographical Encyclopedia, an extensive reference work first issued in the 1880s. This encyclopedia included large-scale copper plate maps of all U.S. states and territories, the provinces of Canada, and various thematic maps such as topographical, railroad, and Bible geography maps. It also featured comprehensive historical and statistical information, biographies of notable individuals, and county histories, often published in special regional editions tailored to specific areas like Ohio, West Virginia, and Virginia.
Hardesty's publications were notable for their detailed cartography and for combining general historical surveys with local content, including biographical sketches and illustrations of prominent residents and landmarks. The firm operated out of Chicago and Toledo and produced both general editions and limited county-specific editions, making their works valuable resources for genealogists, historians, and collectors today.
