357.     [MAP]. ROCK OIL & SULPHUR COMPANY. “Washington County, Texas, Scale: 2000 Varas to 1 inch….” Manuscript oil and gas map in red and black ink on thin, coated cartographical cloth with symbols for railroads, state highways, roads (first, second, and third class), county lines, abstracted lands, certificate, wells (drilling, producing, abandoned, dry hole, gas) and legend for the Rock Map Company including three miniscule gushing oil wells. N.p., n.d. [Houston, ca. 1919]. 72.2 x 105 cm. A working map, blank edges chipped, tears, and pinholes at corners, lightly foxed, a very good copy of a type of map rarely encountered.

     This handsome manuscript map is an ink tracing over a General Land Office plat map with added notations on oil and gas production, exploration, and updated road, railroads, place names, etc. Original grants and grantees from 1821 are retained on the map. Oil was not systematically drilled for in the area until the 1910s. See Handbook of Texas Online: Washington County.

     An interesting feature of the map is to consider the vast transition of this spot of Texas, with oil and gas wells dotting the lands of Austin’s former colony. The original grantees are identified including Stephen F. Austin himself, James P. Perry, Gail Borden, Samuel May Williams, Henry Smith, J.J. DeWitt, et al. Shown are parts of the counties of Miller, Grimes, Brazos, Austin, Fayette, Lee, and Burleson.

($250-500)

Auction 22 Abstracts