White, Russel M.

“Map Guide” of the Lower Rio Grande Valleys of Texas & Mexico. [Front panel title].

Texas: Russel M. White, [circa 1947]. 8 7/8” x 3 7/8”, folded; opens to 17¾” x 23½”; printed both sides. Very good: light edge wear with a few tiny chips, a few minuscule separations at folds, light dust soiling, and small holes at each intersection.

This map/guide to the lower Rio Grande valley is a sensory overload of business, city, street and highway names splashed across 15 separate inset maps in bold explosions of vivid blue and orange.

The largest map, which stretches across the entire sheet, shows the region generally along state highways 77, 83 and 281. Each town name is printed in blue inside an orange box. That map is surrounded by inset maps where each town has its name printed in thick orange letters outlined in blue, with the other inset maps on the leaf's other side. The cities and towns represented are: McAllen, Raymondville, Harlingen, Rio Grande City, San Benito, Mission, San Juan, Donna, Weslaco, Mercedes, Edinburg, Pharr, Brownsville, Reynosa, and Matamoros.

Several hundred businesses are shown including everything from restaurants and nightlife to car dealers, fruit growers, pharmacies, libraries, churches and many others. There are also several advertisements for things like Grapette soda, TexSun Citrus Exchange, the Nehi Bottling Company and several hotels and transportation services.

Rare, with OCLC finding one copy only, at the University of Houston.

A rich resource--literally a visual business directory--of the early postwar Rio Grande Valley. Very good. Item #6196

Price: $1,250.00