1841 Texas
By: Thomas G. Bradfrod
Date: 1841 (published) Boston
Dimensions: 14 x 11.5 inches (35.5 x 29.2 cm)
This is a very fine example of an important map of Texas as a republic, showing the region as divided into land grants based on empresarios established by the Mexican government prior to the Texas Revolution. The map was published the same year Sam Houston became the President of the Republic of Texas and features some of the earliest Texan settlement, many of them with new names.
Though the date on the map suggest a publication of 1838, the map was actually published in 1841 as part of " A New Atlas of the World," by C.D. Strong out of Boston. Despite annual updates to his map, Bradford elected to save money and not legally register every state. While subtle difference can be found between each state of Bradford's map, the most important change found in the 1841 state is the extension of McMullen and McGlone's Grant to the Rio Bravo (Rio Grande). Prior maps of Texas as a republic limit the southern border to the Nueces River.
In 1828 John McMullen and James McGloin received a contract from Coahuila y Texas under the state colonization laws to settle 200 Irish families in an area located between the Nueces and Medina rivers. This spawned the town of St. Patrick and county (added in the 1841 state of Bradford's map) if San Patricio. This region was known to be filled with large heard of wild horses and was of great importance to both Mexicans and Texans. For years the Mexican government would dispute this concession and their reluctance to acknowledge the area a part of Texas would serve as one of the reasons for President James Polk to instigate the Mexican-American War.
Where Are the Native Americans?
For all of the new cartographic information this map provided on the Republic of Texas, it omitted a very important element in that of the significance if not the existence of the Comanche and Apache. It was just one year prior to the publication of this map that Buffalo Hump (father of Quanah Parker) would lead the largest Native American raid on the cities and settlements of Victoria, Linnville, and Plum Creek, killing over forty Texans and destroying nearly everything in their path.
Perhaps the omission of the Comanche was the result of their nomadic lifestyle and a reluctance to add the words "Comanche Country" across much of the entire map. Additionally, many maps of the Republic of Texas were made with the intention of drawing new settlers from the Union and it was best to give little credence to centuries-old struggle between the tribes of the southern plains and the many people who tried to settle the land, dating back to the Conquistadores. In any case, lack of recognition given to the native people that still very much inhabited the Republic of Texas is noteworthy.
Condition: This map is in excellent condition with original outline color and some light foxing, mostly confined to the outside margins.
Inventory #12210
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