Today,
Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced that the Texas General Land Office Archives and Records, as part of the agency’s Save Texas History Program, acquired and conserved an important atlas of six printed maps created by U.S. Army Captain Zebulon M. Pike.
Published in 1810, the atlas illustrates Pike’s troubled 1806-1807 exploration of the Louisiana Territory, which included the northern boundary of Spanish Texas. Captain Pike’s work greatly contributed to knowledge of the new territory acquired by the United States as well as parts of New Spain.
“Zebulon Pike is an important, though often overshadowed figure in American history, and a contemporary of Lewis and Clark," said Commissioner Bush. "His work, which included a favorable report on Texas in 1806 and 1807, helped open the West to further exploration. Pike was one of the earliest Americans to explore Texas, and without him, Texas history could have been very different. I’m pleased to announce that the GLO acquired this atlas to provide new material for researchers of early Texas history, and conserved it so that it will be protected for future generations. This is another example of how the GLO is working to Save Texas History.”
About the Save Texas History Program
Created in 2004, the Save Texas History program is a statewide initiative to rally public support and private funding for the preservation and promotion of the historic maps and documents housed in the GLO Archives, and serves as a resource for teaching and digitizing Texas history. If you would like to donate to the Save Texas History program to adopt a document or collection, assist with archival acquisitions, develop educational programs, or support digital projects, please visit SaveTexasHistory.org.You can follow Save Texas History at //Facebook.com/SaveTXHistory and Twitter at //Twitter.com/SaveTxHistory.