A rare German emigration map of Texas

An outstanding first edition copy of an exceedingly rare German-Texas emigration map with original hand colouring, the red outlines indicating counties, the German settlements of the 'Deutsche Colonie des Mainzer Vereins' and 'Franxös Colonie' shown in yellow, and Rio Grande and Indian Point on The Gulf Coast coloured in blue, the latter being the official point of entry established by the German Emigration Company.

Published in order to entice prospective European immigrants to Texas in order to counterbalance the overwhelming Mexican influence from over the border. This map demarcates the colonies of Solms-Braunfels and Henri Castro in colour and the inset plans of New Braunfels and Castroville are amongst the earliest cartographic records of these towns.

Apart its fame as an emigration item, in the Castroville inset,is also preserved an interesting detail relating to Texas land use history. On the curve of the Medina River can be seen the so-called 'long lots' that were laid out on a European model of riverine land development, (See Terry G. Jordan, Antecedents of the Long-Lot in Texas, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Vol. 64, No. 1. (March, 1974), pp. 70-86.)

The map is sometimes found in Viktor Bracht's, 'Texas im Jahre 1848...' (Elberfeld & Iserlohn: Julius Bädeker, 1849).. Raines, p. 29. Sabin 7161. Vandale 19.

Bädeker published other emigration guides, including August Rauschenbusch's 'Einige Anweisungen fur Auswanderer nach den westlichen Staaten von Nordamerika und Reisebilder' (Elberfeld, 1848).