T H E  N E A T L I N E
		A Newsletter of the Texas Map Society           Vol V No 2 Winter 2002

Off the Map
The President's Column
By John Crain

The Garrett Lectures and joint meeting of the Philip Lee Phillips Society and the Texas Map Society exceeded all expectations. Kudos to Virginia and Jenkins Garrett, George Tobolowsky, Dennis Reinhartz, Kit Goodwin, and Gerald Saxon, along with scores of map enthusiasts who made this meeting both successful and memorable.

Now that the fall meeting is behind us, we need to focus on our spring meeting in Galveston on April 4-5. Casey Greene, archivist for the Rosenberg Library, has promised us a terrific meeting. Mark your calendar today and join us for this festive spring map gala.

With Galveston on my mind, I thought you might enjoy a true story about a Texas treasure map. In 1973, while serving as director of the Star of the Republic Museum, I was approached by an employee who was concerned about the behavior of a visitor to the gift shop. Across from the shop, a middle-aged gentleman was leaning against a gallery wall speaking to himself. While this type of behavior is not usual with museum personnel, it is very unusual with the public. Once I arrived on the scene, I asked the fellow if he could use a cup of coffee. He was quick to accept and slowly moved into our interior reception room. After at least two cups of coffee and few, if any, words, I attempted to show our visitor out of the office. To my surprise, he did not exit---instead, he headed toward a framed Texas map. After a polite discussion concerning the map's lack of definition with respect to West Texas, he asked to speak to me in private. We went into a small office off the reception room, and that’s when he let me in on the opportunity of a lifetime.

It seems that he was flying over West Texas in a private plane and noticed the remains of a mule train in the sand below. He hurriedly sketched the site and location and later, went back to find the mule train and the obvious treasure which accompanied it. Unfortunately, he was not successful and health and personal problems prevented him from returning to the location. For a mere $ 25,000, his map, which just happened to be in his billfold, could be sold to the Museum. Once the treasure was found, he would be entitled to a finder’s fee of $ 25,000.

Because of budgetary concerns, I declined the offer and showed the visitor to the door. I never saw him again, but have assumed that the treasure map is safe and sound in the custody of a map collector whose assets include gold and silver from a West Texas mule train.

See you in Galveston.