SAN ANTONIO – If you're looking for a unique present for the holidays, you can now get a replica of one of the first maps of San Antonio.
A Houston couple who owns some original copies of the maps is allowing the General Land Office to digitize their collection, providing access for the first time to more than 70 historic maps of Texas, the U.S. and the Western Hemisphere.
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The oldest in the General Land Office's collection dates back to 1513 and the collection includes some of the rarest maps in the world.
"The map of San Antonio is from 1890," said the GLO's James Harkins. "It shows the land ownership at that time. It kind of gives you an idea of how big (or), actually, how small it is. It shows Alamo Heights way out in the suburbs."
High-quality, digital reprints of the Frank and Carol Holcomb collection are available for as little as $20. All proceeds from the sales help Save Texas History, a public-private effort to preserve and digitize the massive collection of maps and historical documents in the Archives of the General Land Office.
For more information, visit www.savetexashistory.org. Online and phone orders before 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19 can be delivered by Christmas Day.