Mapping Texas: The Gulf Coast — Coastal Cities
The Texas General Land Office and the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum are pleased to jointly present Mapping Texas: The Gulf Coast, which includes ten unique maps covering 252 years of Texas history, from 1740–1992. The maps showcased in this exhibit demonstrate the diverse history of Texas’ Gulf Coast.
With 367 miles of beaches on the Gulf of Mexico, more than 3,300 miles of bays and estuaries, and hundreds of communities, Texas has one of the longest, most vibrant coastlines in the United States. From the earliest days of European settlement to modern navigation and oil drilling, the mapping of Texas’ coast has always been of vital importance.
Rockport, Texas
Rockport, named for the rocky ledge under its shoreline, was founded after the Civil War as a port for the cattle slaughtering, packing, and shipping industries. The city was incorporated by Special Act of the Texas Legislature, with a charter granted to it on May 29, 1871, the same year Aransas County was separated from Refugio County. Rockport is the county seat for Aransas County.[1]
In the 1880s, the industries of boat building and fishing gained prominence. The arrival of the railroad to Rockport in 1886 led to a boom in tourism and established the idea of Rockport as a seaside resort. Rockport has been a favorite coastal spot for Texans ever since.
This promotional map, compiled and drafted by civil engineer Paul McCombs for the Aransas Pass Land Company, shows all of the lots the company offered for sale in the city of Rockport. The company, formerly the Texas Homestead and Farmers Association, took out a charter in 1882 to subdivide and sell the land to interested parties. The map was used to entice people to come to the Texas coast and settle in Rockport.
Although the map shows the available plots for sale and the rail line from the coast through the town, the bulk of it is dedicated to the many reasons one should live in Rockport. The cartouche features cacti and palms, signifying Texas and the coast. The steamship highlights the importance of international trade, a major selling point to those looking to relocate. Descriptive text beckons businessmen, settling families, and tourists alike with the promises of easy access to trade, beaches, and fine weather.
The popular nineteenth-century Baedeker travel guide describes Rockport as “a favourite resort for bathing and for its fine tarpon and other fishing. It has a good harbor…. The country round Aransas Pass…is very fertile and produces large quantities of fruit.”[2]
In its third special edition on Texas, Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Weekly of October 18, 1890, spotlights the Aransas Pass area in a three-page article, calling Rockport “the seat of a commercial city of great importance.” The author of the article tells the reader that Rockport “promises to be one of the most beautiful and attractive townsites of the Gulf Coast. Artesian wells are to be sunk, plans are being provided for excellent hotel accommodations… It will be an attractive summer and winter resort.”[3]
This map’s conservation was funded in 2004 with a donation from Mr. and Mrs. Casey McManemin in honor of Robert T. Herrin, III.
Mapping Texas: The Gulf Coast runs through January 2017. For more information about viewing the exhibit, please visit http://www.thestoryoftexas.com/visit/exhibits/mapping-texas.
To learn more about the Texas Coast today, please visit txcoasts.com
[1] For more on Rockport, Texas see http://cityofrockport.com/
[2] The United States with an Excursion into Mexico: Handbook for Travellers [sic] with 17 Maps and 22 Plans,” ed. Karl Baedeker, (Leipsic: Karl Baedeker, Publisher, 1893), p. 466.
[3] “The City of Aransas Pass and its Vicinage,” Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, Third Texas Edition, №1831, Vol LXXI, (New York, NY), October 18, 1890, p 5.
