Old maps are giving a new perspective of what Texas once looked like, and the state's General Land Office says the reproduced documents make great holiday gifts.
The Land Office discovered bird's-eye view maps of several Texas cities in its archives. Artists drew the maps to attract more settlers, so they showed only the good and left out the rest.
The colorful reproductions of these hand-drawn maps show late 19th century San Antonio, Houston, Dallas and other Texas cities.
"They're highly accurate," said Land Office spokesman Mark Lambert. "They usually would eliminate large trees that would block a street; they wouldn't show outhouses or undesirable structures like that."
Reproductions of the historic maps cost $20 to $40 each and are available from the agency's Save Texas History Web site.
