Colonists’ and Emigrants’ Route to Texas

At the close of the Reconstruction period, it was in Texas’ best interest to encourage the growth of the railroad system that had suffered greatly during the Civil War. Efforts to connect territory across the state via rail had existed since 1836, but little progress had been made by the 1850s. One of the war’s unfortunate effects was the stunting and regress of the few lines that existed. While Texas remained cash-poor during Reconstruction, there was still public land available to be claimed. Inspired by the United States’ grant of 2,500,000 acres to the Illinois Central Railway, Texas set to work enticing the growing railroad companies through a generous land-for-rail policy, eager to stimulate the economy through European and U.S. immigration and commerce.[1]

[left] Colonists’ and Emigrants’ Route to Texas, Chicago: Rand McNally & Co., 1878, Map #94033; [right] [verso] Colonists’ and Emigrants’ Route to Texas, Chicago: Rand McNally & Co., 1878, Map #94034, Map Collection, Archives and Records Program, Texas General Land Office, Austin, TX.

The International & Great Northern Railroad (I&GN) began as the International and Houston & Great Northern Railroads, respectively. The Houston & Great Northern Railroad was chartered in 1866 but didn’t begin to lay track until 1871.[2] The International Railroad was founded in 1870, a year after Texas repealed railroad land grants.[3] In September 1873, the two companies consolidated their businesses and preexisting lines to form the International & Great Northern Railroad. That same year, Texas amended the 1869 constitution, providing grants to railroads that were not to exceed 20 sections per mile of track laid. The I&GN was one of the greatest beneficiaries of this amendment, and it received a total of 3,339,520 acres of public land.[4]

The International & Great Northern Railroad touted its routes as the quickest and most convenient way to get to Texas.

Created in collaboration with Rand, McNally & Co. to promote immigration via the I&GN Railroad, this pamphlet map shows the extent of rail line growth by 1878 that connected the rest of the United States to Texas. Illustrations of buildings in varying sizes, including many church steeples, indicate the relative population of each city and town. Reminiscent of classical European villages, this imagery suggests the possibility of immigrants recreating their familiar culture in Texas. The artist exaggerated the size of Palestine, headquarters of the I&GN Railroad Company. Military installations are also represented, including the briefly occupied Fort Phantom Hill. The map’s topographical details are sparse, though the Guadalupe Mountains are drawn in the west, and major rivers are named. In the lower right corner, pastoral images of agricultural bounty are attributed to the easy accessibility and influence of the railroad company.

[left] Austin and San Antonio are connected by a branch of the International & Great Northern. [right] Palestine’s size is exaggerated on the map to invoke a town larger than it actually was at the time. This was the headquarters of the International & Great Northern Railroad Company.

In the western portion of the map, the International Overland Route is noted, connecting Austin to Chihuahua, Mexico by way of Fredericksburg, Mason, Menardville, and several forts. Austin and Houston appear to be well connected in comparison to Dallas and Fort Worth. Other lines, not marked in a bold black line like the International tracks and presumably belonging to other railroad companies, connect San Antonio to cities as far south as Saltillo and Monterey [sic]. Galveston, the largest city in Texas at the time, is linked to New York and Liverpool via steamship routes, and an International line connects the island to the mainland.

[left] The International Overland Route, passing through the Guadalupe Mountains, connected Texas with Chihuahua in Mexico. [right] Houston quickly became a rail hub, with several lines passing through in each direction. It connected Galveston ports with the rest of the state.

[left] Several forts, including Ft. Phantom Hill, are shown on the map. [right] Steamships that arrived in Galveston had easy access to rail lines.

Railroads spread across the country, creating a connected transportation network.

An inset in the upper right corner shows the spread of railroads throughout the Midwest, the South, and the eastern portion of the country, encouraging immigration to Texas from throughout the United States. There are connections to Texas as far north as Chicago, New York, and Canada. According to information provided by the company, the I&GN controlled almost 520 miles of rail in the state by 1878.

The map’s verso is a portable advertisement for the International & Great Northern Railroad, which sought to draw the attention of immigrants by outlining the company’s benefits. The railroad prided itself on extending the greatest hospitality to newcomers, claiming to make “every effort, under a well-organized system, to promote the welfare of those seeking new homes and better fortunes in our great and growing State.”

The International & Great Northern Railroad Immigrants’ Home provided newcomers with a safe place to stay while they located permanent housing in the state. Women and children depicted on the balcony, and a church steeple included in the background, indicated the positive moral atmosphere for families in Texas.

The company sponsored an “Immigrants’ Home” in Palestine, which provided “stoves and cooking utensils…fuel, water, and lights” free of charge, and promised a stay for “families for a reasonable time in comfort and under protection” until permanent settlement could be found. They drew attention to the “very low rates” of tickets for immigrants, the luxury of the rides, and promoted the new dining cars available on their trains. Times tables were made available, advertising the speed of an I&GN journey from the rest of the rail-accessible country to the Lone Star State. The company also promotes easy access to Mexican rail lines and markets on the Pacific coast.

The I&GN paid special attention to Austin and San Antonio and their favorable climates. Boasting of the railroad’s benefit to the capital city, the advertisement announced that “if Texans love the great commonwealth, and are boastful and hopeful of its future, and proud of the virtues of great men and pure and faultless women, they may also congratulate themselves that the International & Great Northern Railroad and nature are doing their utmost, and contributing alike with lavish hands, to the perfection of every charm that makes Austin the worthy capitol of the mighty commonwealth.”

The railroad prided themselves on the superior amenities of their trains. Among these was the advent of the “dining car,” which provided a welcome convenience to those who could afford it.

The International & Great Northern Railroad was one of the many rail companies which greatly increased access to Texas after the Civil War. The railroads stimulated immigration and introduced new culture and commerce to the state, and this map was a useful tool in encouraging growth.

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[1] Thomas Lloyd. Miller and Ralph W. Yarborough, The Public Lands of Texas: 1519–1970 (Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1972), 95.

[2] Handbook of Texas Online, Nancy Beck Young, “Houston and Great Northern Railroad,” accessed May 30, 2018, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/eqh08.

[3] Handbook of Texas Online, S. G. Reed, “International Railroad,” accessed May 30, 2018, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/eqi03.

[4] Miller and Yarborough, The Public Lands of Texas: 1519–1970, 102.