[left] Hemisfair Gulf Tourgide Map [Verso], Rand McNally & Co., 1968, Map #94169, [right] Hemisfair Gulf Tourgide Map [Recto], Rand McNally & Co., 1968, Map #94168, Map Collection, Archives and Records Program, Texas General Land Office, Austin, TX.

Hemisfair Gulf Tourgide Map

Awarded official World’s Fair status in 1965, Hemisfair ’68 was held in San Antonio from April through October 1968, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the city. Its theme was “Confluence of Civilizations in the Americas.” More than thirty nations sent representative delegations to present educational cultural events and exhibits for the event.[1] Founded in 1901 after the discovery of oil at Spindletop, Gulf Oil Corporation was one of the top ten American oil manufacturing companies at the time. The company became known for its drive-in service stations and branding campaigns, and it issued a map in partnership with Rand McNally & Co. on behalf of the event.

Distances to San Antonio from several other Texas cities are noted on the map. The distance between San Antonio and Austin, however, is absent.

This promotional brochure contains four maps in one on a graduated scale. One map shows the city of San Antonio and the surrounding area, being sure to mark the locations of every Gulf gas station as well as the two Holiday Inn hotels within the city limits. The map beneath it is a closer view of the city itself. Several sites of interest, including the Alamo, the U.S. Arsenal, City Hall, and the Missouri-Kansas-Texas and Southern Pacific train depots are noted.

The largest map on the verso lays out the fairgrounds, situated just a few blocks south of Alamo Plaza. The 622-foot Tower of the Americas, still under construction on opening day, was the fair’s centerpiece, and it could be visible from every area of the venue. A new convention center and arena housed the exhibition based on the fair’s theme. The Institute of Texan Cultures, which later became part of the University of Texas at San Antonio campus, was located within the “State of Texas” building.

An extension of the city’s iconic River Walk was created to meet the fairground. Substantial exhibit space, concessions, amusements, and rides are designated according to the color-coded legend. A peculiar design choice shows the colors depicting water and parking space as nearly indistinguishable from each other. A dashed orange line marks the path of the “Minirail,” which shuttled passengers around the fairgrounds. At the southeastern edge of the grounds is the Gulf TouRide, a miniature auto course meant to teach children safe driving skills.

[left] A miniature car sits on the track of the Gulf TouRide, which attempted to teach children safe driving practices. [right] The Institute for Texan Cultures was established in the State of Texas building as part of Hemisfair. The University of Texas campus in San Antonio was founded the next year, in 1969.

The opposite side of the brochure depicts a map of the entire state of Texas in addition to its border states Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana, as well as parts of New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi. It shows all the major roadways leading into San Antonio, including the location of every Gulf gasoline station in the state.

The Dallas-Ft. Worth and Houston metro areas are highlighted as insets on the map, with the locations of Gulf Oil stations noted.

Notations in dark blue indicate the distance from major Texas cities like Houston and Dallas to San Antonio, as well as distances between other major cities. Interstate 35, which opened in Austin from the north in 1962 (and had an early basis in a military road charted in 1840), was completed to San Antonio in time for the fair. According to the map key, most highways in Texas were paved. Several more sections remained under construction, notably Interstate 10 between San Antonio and Houston and Interstate 45 between Houston and Dallas. The Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex, Houston, New Orleans, and the portion of Mexico due south of Texas also have insets along the left side of the map.

[left] The Tower of the Americas was both the centerpiece of the fairground and a landmark that could be seen from anywhere in the venue. [right] Over thirty nations were represented in different pavilions at the fair, a true “confluence” of cultures.

The Hemisfair map represents years of effort, planning, collaboration, and even some controversy, to put on an event to celebrate San Antonio’s importance in both national and international consciousness. Over 6.3 million visitors attended the fair.

The Hemisfair Gulf Tourgide Map was donated to the Texas General Land Office by James Harkins. To learn more about donating to the Save Texas History Program, please click here.

This map appeared in the 2018 exhibit “Connecting Texas: 300 Years of Trails, Rails and Roads” at the Witte Museum in San Antonio. Click here to download the exhibit guide, featuring over 40 maps from the exhibit.

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[1] Handbook of Texas Online, Frank Duane, “Hemisfair ‘68,” accessed July 17, 2017, https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/lkh01.