Texas: Lone Star State

Original, hand-drawn story map and accompanying gifts of Texas by renowned Illustrator and Xplorer Maps Co-Founder, Chris Robitaille.

Our nation’s 2nd largest (in population and land area), Texas joined the union in 1848 becoming the 28th state. Dubbed the Lone Star State to signify Texas a former independent republic, it is also a reminder of the state’s struggle for independence from Mexico. The origin of the state name, Texas, is from the word, “Tejas”, which means ‘friends’ in the Caddo language. 

Not surprisingly with its vast area, Texas boasts an incredibly diverse landscape; from coastal swamps and piney woods to rolling plains and rugged hills… eventually transitioning to the deserts and mountains of the west and Big Bend. The Alamo and San Antonio’s Riverwalk; Austin’s eclectic music scene and state Capitol building; the Fort Worth Stockyards and Houston’s Space Center; expansive Public Lands and the Gulf Coast….. the adopted slogan “Everything is Big in Texas” certainly holds true.