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Rare promotional map for the Texas & Pacific Railway, advertising the so-called "Gould System" Lines and Connections.
The second title states "West Texas 'Land of Opportunities' and an Ideal Climate. . . " and calling the area "The California of Texas," a fascinating slogan focused on encouraging migration to Texas.
The map includes a smaller map of the United States, identifying the "True Southern Route to and from California via El Paso (in red), as well as a photography showing a Harvest Scene in West Texas.
The Gould System
The Gould System is the name used to describe a vast network of railroad lines which were controlled by the railroad financier Jay Gould. The Official History of the Great Strike of 1886 on the Southwestern Railway System described the Gould System as follows:
The Gould system embbraced a vast territory in Missouri, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Indian Territory and Nebraska, with a total mileage of four thousand one hundred and fifteen miles, divided as follows: In Missouri, 1391 miles; in Kansas, 820 miles; in Nebraska, 116 miles; in Indian Territory, 320 miles; in Texas, 1,408 miles; in Arkansas, 460 miles. This does not include the Texas and Pacific Railway, 1,487 miles long, which was then, as it is now, in the hands of a receiver, appointed by the United States Court. This vast system employed some 14,000 men in its various departments.
![Carta geografica della Florida nell'America settentrionale [Geographical map of Florida in North America]](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/84142.jpg)
