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Rare Texas and Mid-Continent Panoramic View and Timetable
Fascinating stylized birdseye view of the Central Route of the Houston & Texas Central Railway, extending from Chicago to the Gulf of Mexico and naming several dozen cities.
Pictorial wrappers with top wrapper depicting a sweeping Texas landscape entitled "View of Waco." The unique foldout image shows the "Directness of the route, as well as the character of the country and beauty of the landscape over which it passes." The route from Galveston to Chicago crosses over rivers and through towns. Native Americans are seen in the foreground looking down on the line.
The scenes pictured below the map include the court house in Austin, the Alamo, and the suspension bridge spanning the Brazos River in Waco. Pictorial wrappers show a "View of Waco." Includes 1877 timetables and fare rates. Also includes a route map for the Houston & Texas Central Railway, with the cover art featuring a view of Waco, Texas.
The 1877 promotional text for the Houston & Texas Central Railway, known as "The Central Route," highlights its unparalleled advantages for passenger and freight transportation in the Southwest. It emphasizes the route's access to prosperous cities and fertile lands across central Texas, suitable for diverse agricultural and commercial ventures. The text underscores the strategic connections with major northern, eastern, and western rail lines, urging travelers to choose the Houston & Texas Central Railway for direct and efficient travel to and from Texas.
Rarity
The timetable and view are extremely rare.
OCLC locates 2 examples of an 1878 edition (Houston Public Library and Texas Tech University).
We note an example of the 1878 edition offered at auction by Heritage Auctions in 2018 which sold for 2,375.00.
Provenance: Pencil note on covers "Miss Dora Martin 1877."
Rand McNally & Co. is a large American map and navigation company best known for its annual atlases. The company got its start in 1856, when William Rand opened a print shop in Chicago. He was joined in 1858 by a new employee, Andrew McNally. Together, the men established their namesake company in 1868. Originally, the company was intended to print the tickets and timetables for the trains running to and through Chicago; their first railway guide was published in 1869.
By 1870, they had shifted from just printing to publishing directories, travel guides, and newspapers. Their first map appeared in 1872 in a railway guide. The map was produced using a new wax engraving method, a cheaper process that gave the company an edge.
By 1880 Rand McNally had entered the education market with globes, wall maps, and geography texts for students. In 1923, Rand McNally published the first Goode’s World Atlas, named after its editor, Dr. J. Paul Goode. For generations afterward, this would be the standard classroom atlas.
In 1899, William Rand left the company, but McNally and his family remained, controlling the company for over a century. In 1904, they published their first road map intended for automobiles and by 1907 were publishing Photo-Auto Guides, which combined photography and mapping to help drivers. In 1924, they produced the Auto Chum, a precursor to their famous road atlases. Rand McNally would remain the leader in road maps and atlases throughout the twentieth century.
In 1937, Rand McNally opened its first store in New York City. Ever on the frontier of technology, Rand McNally pioneered the scribing process for printing tickets in 1958 and printed their first full-color road atlas in 1960. Arthur Robinson developed his now-famous projection of Rand McNally in 1969. By the 1980s, the company was exploring digital reproduction and digital databases of maps for truckers. In the 1990s, they lead the charge to develop trip-planning software and websites. Today, most of its products are available online or in a digital format, including maps for tablets and phones.
![[Shows Republic of Texas] United States and Texas](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/101139.jpg)
