Pioneer Texas

All My Exes Live in Texas – Can You Find Them?

This dense and abstract map of Texas highlights the Old Roads, Trails, Routes, Stage Lines, Freight Lines, Forts, Mining Areas, Mail Routes, Cattle Trails, Military Roads, Indian Areas, Early Towns, Settlements and Spanish-Mexican History Notes, according to the breathless subtitle in the lower left. The geography of the state is lost amid scores of names, places, and dated events that capture much of the rich history of the Lone Star State. A legend in the lower center helps the audience to decipher the somewhat confusing image, while a chronological list of 19th-century Texas history offers further context.

The map was researched, drawn, copyrighted, and published in 1975 by Perry C. Van Arsdale. Van Arsdale had degrees in romance languages and mechanical engineering, both of which are reflected in the content of the image. He first created a similar publication, the Pioneer New Mexico map, after he found that those available to his seven-year-old granddaughter were insufficient. Eight more would follow, covering individual states and large regions of the United States. Van Arsdale would continue to update his maps until shortly before his passing in 1976, making this Texas example one of his final productions.

Despite the relatively recent publication date, the map is surprisingly scarce in market records and institutional holdings. Less than 10 listings in WorldCat as of July 2025.

Source: MetaFilter (biography); OCLC# 5477003