Destination Special Collections: Texana

Gulf Coast Map

This map is the first to focus on the region, and is the first time the coastline from the Sabine River to the Yucatan peninsula appeared on one map. Arent Roggeveen, a Dutch surveyor, designed this map based off information from the Dutch West India Company. Roggeveen originally published the map in 1675, but after his death, his publisher purchased the plates, added his name to the title, and reissued the map in 1680, which is when this particular map was printed.

This map of the Gulf Coast is displayed according to the orientation of the title, but to read it properly it should be turned counterclockwise ninety degrees. Here you can see a comparison of the map coastline and the actual coastline in its proper orientation.

Find De Cust van Westindien on the UNT Library Catalog.

Map with the area outlined in yellow and pink. The top and bottom borders are outlined by yellow, pink and green blocks. The top right of the page has the map's title on it in fancy letters.

Texana Photography

Each of these photographs provide a unique glimpse into a specific time and place in Texas history. This collection offers the viewer visual access to the norms of social and domestic life, architecture, transportation, and commerce through the early years of Texas settlement.

Worn out photograph with a yellowish tint. The picture is of a merchandise store. A man can be seen towards the back on the left side of the picture. On both sides are two rows of stuff, with an empty aisle in the middle.

Worn out photograph. In it several men, horses, tents and other cattle can be seen. Some of the horses are pulling wagons. The top of the photograph is torn, giving it an uneven edge.

Old photograph in the shape of a long rectangle. Buildings align the left side of the photo, with the street on the right and several wagons with horses can be seen. The photo lays on a black page with worn edges.

Old photograph. Several men in long white shirts and dark pants stand in front of a store. The sign says Drug Store. On the right side is a wagon pulled by a horse.

Picture in color. The sky is light blue and pink. On the left side of the photo is an old white building. The right side of the photo is brown. The words John J. William are on it. In the middle of the picture, a man on a horse is in the middle of a gravel road.

Worn out old photograph of a big white building with a protruding tower.

Black and white photograph of a man in a truck. The left side of the truck is seen, a sign on the side of it.

Texana Ephemera

This collection of ephemera related to Texas history provides a window into the past. These items, which were not created to last past their initial usefulness, offer details into the original settlement of the Denton, TX region, as well as provide evidence of commerce at the time.