SAN ANTONIO / THE MAP ARCHIVE
San Antonio in 1889, framed by the city’s businesses
The San Antonio River winds through the center while a full border of business advertisements turns this 1889 street map into a city directory as well as a map.
Explore the mapTHE MAP AT A GLANCE
A closer look
at 1889.
Dates, map details and creator information stated on the archived page or visible on the sheet.
- Map date
- 1889
The date appears in the archived title, publisher line and the sheet’s title block.
- Publisher
- Olsen & Son
The archived page credits Olsen (J.J.) and Son of San Antonio.
- Distance guide
- ½-mile rings
The archived description says the circles are drawn at one-half-mile intervals from the center.
1889 · San Antonio
Drag to explore. Use the zoom buttons or pinch with two fingers. Keyboard: focus the map, then use arrow keys to move, +/− to zoom and Home to reset.
LOOK CLOSER / EDITORIAL NOTES
Find it on the map.
The river threads through the center
The San Antonio River bends from the upper right toward the lower center, cutting through the street grid rather than following it.
Half-mile rings radiate from downtown
The archived description identifies concentric circles at one-half-mile intervals. On the sheet, their broad arcs cross streets, districts and open land around the center.
Advertisements form the map’s frame
Business notices fill all four margins. The map records the city in the middle and the commercial pitch around its edges.
SAN ANTONIO / HISTORICAL CONTEXT
A street map and business directory on one sheet
The archived description identifies named streets, numbered lots and blocks, public buildings, federal property, districts and railroad lines. The printed border adds another layer: banks, land offices, hotels and other San Antonio businesses surround the mapped city.
PRESERVED FROM THE HISTORICAL WEBSITE
Street map of San Antonio, 1889
Created 09-July-2004
Publisher: Olsen (J.J.) and Son, San Antonio, Texas, 1889. Printed by Matthews, Northrup and Company. Art Printing Works, Buffalo Works, New York.
Description: Shows streets by name, lots and blocks by number, the San Antonio River, public buildings, U.S. government property, districts, and railroad lines. There are concentric circles drawn from the center at one half mile intervals. The map is framed by advertisements.
Courtesy of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission