The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 62, July 1958 - April, 1959 Page: 550
617 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Southwestern Historical Quarterly
retiring as president of the Friends of the Austin Library, he was
named chairman of the new development committee for library
services in the city by that organization.
The criticism is frequently made that in the modern world
letter writing is a lost art and that the loss will be a real detri-
ment to the future historian. In editing the "Texas Collection"
section I have several times inserted letters which had documen-
tary and historical significance. It takes no great stretch of the
imagination to see that the letter which follows is of that cate-
gory. It tells a story of an all too infrequently used historical
method of going to the land to see what that document has to say.
The writer of the letter is Mrs. John Lee McMillen (Kathryn
Smith McMillen, see her "A Descriptive Bibliography on the
San Antonio-San Diego Mail Line," in the October, 1955, issue
of the Quarterly), who has been researching on the San Antonio-
San Diego Stage Line for years. The research trip recounted here
was made by her, her husband, and their two youngsters.
SALUD:
We really had fond dreams of completing our modern-day journey
over the San Antonio-San Diego mail route between San Antonio
and El Paso in a mere three weeks. At any rate the small bit we did
cover showed us we had a lot of work ahead of us. We got the idea
that we might get away from the cows and dishwashing sometime in
September. We thought then the Ist of October would be a good time
to leave. Later we moved the date to the 12th of that month when
we discovered that outfitting for a semi-maping trip and arranging our
home affairs so that we might leave them involved a lot of planning.
Finally on Friday, the 17th, we reached Amarillo, a distance of
fifty miles, and there finished our purchasing of necessary junk for
our great escapade. Leaving Amarillo late, and having to return from
Canyon (sixteen miles) to retrieve my purse which I had left at
Grandma's, we arrived in Clovis late at night, thinking we would
seek a night's lodging. After we were discouraged there we drove on,
and on, and on, and the next day about 11 A.M. we were in El Paso
rushing madly for the Post Office to check on the U. S. Geological
Survey Maps which we had ordered sent from Denver. We secured a
room at a tourist court and began to pour over our all-important
maps. We had received twenty-two maps from the Denver Office: sev-
eral old maps done in the 18go's, the majority surveyed 1938-1942.
Anything was better than the highway maps that showed little or
nothing of the countryside.550
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 62, July 1958 - April, 1959, periodical, 1959; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101173/m1/651/: accessed May 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.