1986 Ollum Pictorial View of Dallas, Texas

This is a 1986 Merle Ollom pictorial view of Dallas, Texas, drawn for the Old San Francisco Steak House.

A Closer Look

Oriented towards the north, the view covers the greater Dallas area, as far west as Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Mountain Creek Lake, as far east as Mesquite and Balch Springs, and bordered on the north and south roughly by the Lyndon Baines Johnson Freeway (Interstate 635 and Interstate 20). Highways, major streets, and landmarks are noted throughout including airports, stadiums (Texas Stadium, the Cotton Bowl), hotels, shopping malls, major local businesses (Dr. Pepper, Texas Instruments), schools and universities, museums and other cultural institutions. Additional sites beyond the scope of the view, such as Six Flags over Texas amusement park and Arlington Stadium, are also referred to. The Old San Francisco Steak House, sponsor of the view, is prominent towards top-left. The area's rivers and many lakes are also illustrated and labelled.

The Old San Francisco Steak House

The Old San Francisco Steak House was a popular chain of colorfully-decorated steakhouses with locations in San Antonio, Dallas, and Austin. Designed in the style of the 'Gay Nineties' (1890s, that is) and based on a legend of star-crossed lovers, a Texas Ranger who fell in love with a local belle while pursuing an outlaw in San Francisco, the restaurants were memorable for their lively décor, burlesque-dress clad waitresses (including one who would swing on a velvet swing hung from the ceiling), and hearty steaks. Nevertheless, all three locations closed in the early 2000s, though the San Antonio location continues to operate as an event and banquet space.

Publication History and Census

This view was prepared by Merle Ollom in 1986 for the Old San Francisco Steak House. There are at least four editions of the view, including two from 1986 (the other being a Texas Sesquicentennial edition), and Ollom produced similar maps of Austin and San Antonio for the steakhouse. The present edition is only noted in the OCLC among the holdings of Newberry Library.