This map provides a wealth of information, clearly presented, for the earliest towns, roads and railways in Texas. West of Austin and Ft. Worth, however, the map gets even more interesting, recording the line of Cavalry forts established to protect the expanding Texas frontier - Fort Bliss near El Paso as well as Fort Thorn, Fort Fillmore, Fort Stanton and Ft. Craig in New Mexico. Numerous routes taken by explorers and survey expeditions are also marked such as Major Emory and Captain Marcy. Emory played a pivotal role in El Paso history as the lead surveyor of the Rio Bravo or Rio Grande to establish the international border between Texas and Mexico. East of El Paso, the Hueco Pass and Comanche Trail are marked. A nicely detailed table of major rivers is included with notes for navigation. In addition, the Llano Estacado or staked plains of west Texas and eastern New Mexico are noted. This marks the southern most extent of the High Plains, one of the largest expanses of near-featureless terrain in the U.S. This map also includes the California Mail Route running through Texas. Before the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, mail service across the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains took over three weeks.
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