The Lonesome Dove~Comanche Moon~Great Trails Map 24"x18

The Lonesome Dove ~ Comanche Moon map shown above in a low-resolution sample is a highly detailed and annotated map of the fictional 1881-1882 Lonesome Dove Trail Drive and the 1857-1866 Comanche Moon wars from the acclaimed historical novels by Larry McMurtry as well as the television miniseries that followed.  The historic routes of the Great Western Cattle Trails are also included as are portions the routes of the Santa Fe Trail, the Independence Trail and the Oregon Trail as well as others.

Because Lonesome Dove and Comanche Moon take place on such a large canvas and involve so many plots and sub-plots and characters, having this map at hand when the books are read or the shows are watched is a great way to clarify the geography involved. This map also covers all the terrain that is involved in the other books in the Lonesome Dove series like Streets of Laredo, although specific events and places are not described.

1857~1866 Comanche Moon:  The novel covers the earlier days of Gus & Call and many of the other characters that will later be a part of Lonesome Dove. The map graphically shows a period from about 1857 to just after the Civil War, during which the final fierce battles between the Comanches and the Rangers and later the US Calvary were fought. The map follows McMurty's route descriptions from Austin to the Llano Estacado or Staked Plains, the Red River country and along the Rio Grande and Pecos frontiers and into the forbidding Sierra Madre of Old Mexico to the Sierra Perdida slaughterhouse and prison.  Following the book we have added markers and notes as to the locations of many of the scenes as they happened. Included is the location of Buffalo Hump's camp under the rim of the Palo Duro canyon, the theft of Captain Scull's horse Hector by Kicking Wolf and his subsequent trek into Mexico, Blue Duck's renegade camp and the great Comanche raid on Austin. All the major events in the Comanche Moon novel and TV miniseries are clearly marked and shown.

1881 Lonesome Dove: The fictional Lonesome Dove drive took place in the later days of the great herds headed north.  We have placed it at about 1881.  The last large drives were about done by 1885. We have updated our earlier Lonesome Dove ~ Great Trails map with the inclusion of the Comanche Moon events on the map sheet. Additional research and work was done to add more Lonesome Dove detail from the original book.  Additional markers and notes have been added and the coloration improved with a better legend. The best selling Lonesome Dove map is now even better.

The Great Cattle Trails: While Lonesome Dove and Comanche Moon are works of fiction, they are based on solid Texas and western history. Part of that history is from the period of the great cattle drives from Texas, north through Indian Territory and to the railheads of Kansas and often continuing as far north as Montana. Most of these trails started in south Texas and followed a number or routes depending upon the demand and the current location of the railhead in Kansas. Although each trail had a number of names, the map shows them as the Chisholm, Great Western, Goodnight-Loving and the Shawnee Trail, which was the earliest.

Immigrant Trails:  The earlier Santa Fe Trail, and portions of the Independence and Oregon Trails as well as many other overland routes are shown in detail on the map as is the early route of the Butterfield Overland Stage line from Missouri and Arkansas down thorugh Indian Territory, northern Texas then the arid west Texas route through the Immigrant Crossing of the Pecos and on into New Mexico on its way to California.

Defenses: As Texas and the west developed, a line of forts land camps was created and these defenses were expanded as the western areas became more settled. The maps shows most of these Texas and other frontier forts from the period from the 1850's through the early 1880's.

The Lonesome Dove map is printed on very heavy acid free parchment tone stock that frames beautifully and handles easily as a working map for research or academic use. The sheet sizes are standard and inexpensive mats and frames are available everywhere.

Each map is rolled and packed in a USPS supplied and approved container and send by Priority Mil with a tracking number.

Note:  We take no responsibility for our items once they get to the Post Office. There is optional Insurance available for those who wish the additional protection.