From Presidio to the Pecos River: Surveying the United States–Mexico Boundary along the Rio Grande, 1852 and 1853 by Orville B. Shelburne (review)

The agreement reached in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848, which ended the U.S. war with Mexico, required an accurate survey of the new international boundary between Mexico and the United States. One portion of that boundary along the Rio Grande between approximately 102°40^′ and 104°40^′ west longitude consisted of particularly remote and treacherous terrain that made survey work difficult. Much of this area today is known as the Big Bend National Park. From Presidio to the Pecos River by Orville B. Shelburne provides a detailed account of the survey parties, led by Marine Tyler Wickham Chandler in 1852 and Nathaniel Michler in 1853, which completed the mapping of this region.

The exact course of the Rio Grande from present-day Presidio, Texas, to its confluence with the Pecos River was unknown in 1852, but it was understood that the river flowed through steep canyons. M. T. W. Chandler was ordered to lead an under-resourced surveying party for the first time in his career across an unknown distance, through a territory intersected by Cherokee trails and along a river reported to flow across large falls. The Chandler party successfully mapped 209 miles of the river from August to November 1852 and ultimately produced five boundary maps that were included in the final set of fifty-four official maps approved by the joint boundary commission. But the Chandler survey fell short of the Pecos River after two months of tribulations such as boat wrecks and arduous overland detours. No lives were lost, but the men suffered from limited rations, exhaustion, and tattered clothing. The Michler survey party commenced in the summer of 1853 to complete the final segment, but it was successful in mapping only ninety-four miles upstream of the Pecos River. The thirty-four-mile gap left between the two surveys consisted of the Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande, including San Francisco Canyon, where it was impossible for a party equipped with wagons and wooden boats to navigate the steep canyons and treacherous rapids. Rather than admit to the gap, Michler drew a generic meandering line to represent the canyons portion of the river.

Shelburne's research on the boundary survey is brought to life by the unpublished field notes and correspondence of botanist Charles C. Parry, who served with the Chandler party. Parry's descriptions and sketches provide a rich record of the route and experiences of the Chandler survey. The greatest strengths of From Presidio to the Pecos River are its outstanding maps and illustrations. Throughout the book, Shelburne offers juxtaposed images of historical sketches alongside high-quality, present-day photographs, as well as comparisons of sections of the survey maps with present-day maps and aerial imagery. Any cartophile will be thoroughly impressed by the outstanding cartographic design displayed throughout Shelburne's book. Carol Zuber-Mallison should be congratulated for her exceptional work in producing these gorgeous maps. Particularly stunning are the maps that occupy a two-page spread in the book, thereby providing a view that is both detailed and expansive. In sum, this book should be of great interest to both scholars and general readers who appreciate historical geography and the history of cartography.