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 ::::::::-::::::-z::::::-:::::::::::. ISSUED BY ::::::::-"::::"::::::":-— s::::^ 
 
 THE PUBLICITY LEAGUE 
 
 of THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 
 
 SAN ANTONIO, TSXAS 
 
:d -z, '7 ' . 
 
 PUBLICATIONS OF THE 
 PUBLICITY LEAGUE 
 
 San Antonio, the Beautiful 
 
 Edition de Luxe 
 A Book for the Tourist 
 
 FARM FACTS 
 
 A Book of facts about farming in the 
 San Antonio country 
 
 San Antonio — 
 
 the Convention City 
 
 IN PREPARATION 
 
 Commercial San Antonio 
 
 A Book for Investors 
 
 For Further information address 
 
 JOHN B. CARRINGTON 
 
 Secretary Chamber of Commerce 
 San Antonio, Texas 
 
^an 31ntomo== 
 
 tf)e Con\)ention Cit^ 
 
_^^ffl,' 
 
 tfje Conbention €itp 
 
 'ONIO is a convention city par 
 :cellence. This is true be- 
 use San Antonio is different 
 trom any other city in the 
 ^nited States. It has 
 t an interest, atmos- 
 ^^^^^Si'i'r!': phere and individuality 
 all its own. ^T^'e" leaven of the Latin pop- 
 ulation gives a touch of the holiday spirit 
 even to the working days. San Antonio 
 breathes of fiestas and festivals and its very 
 name is suggestive of a good time. 
 
 The picturesque beauty of San Antonio 
 is a joy forever. Its historic buildings are a 
 never failing source of interest. The venerable 
 Alamo, the cradle of Texas liberty that was 
 the scene of one of the most heroic episodes in 
 the world's history, is in itself a shrine ^lat is 
 worth a journey to San Antonio 
 to visit. 
 
 Outside the city four an- 
 cient missions, partly in ruins, 
 recall the glamour and romance 
 of the old Spanish days. A 
 beautiful macadam road lined 
 with big trees leads to them, 
 
WS^mMMmi^^^MI.^^M^M 
 
 Driveway in 
 
 Brackenridge 
 
 Park 
 
 winding through green fields and along the 
 meandering San Antonio river and making the 
 trip a rare pleasure. 
 
 The old San Fernando Cathedral with its 
 ancient pictures and relics is also eloquent of 
 old San Antonio and the days when the Spanish 
 grandees touched elbows with the American 
 buccaneers in the picturesque plazas. 
 
 Fort Sam Houston, where the Govern- 
 ment has spent about three million dollars 
 in building the second largest army post in 
 America is also worthy of the tourist's visit. 
 
Here the bugle's shrill clarion, the roll of drums 
 and the tramp of armed men reproduce the 
 pomp and pageantry of war and the visitor 
 can get an accurate conception of that splendid 
 fighting machine, the United States army. 
 
 The San Antonio river winds through 
 the heart of the city and is spanned by dozens 
 of bridges and along most of its course is lined 
 with big trees bringing bits of sylvan beauty 
 into the heart of the city. In addition parks 
 and plazas are scattered throughout the city. 
 Of these the most beautiful is Alamo Plaza on 
 which faces the famous chapel; Travis Square 
 where the Confederate monument towers its 
 graceful height; Main Plaza on which the San 
 
 The (Quadrangle — Fort Sam Houston 
 5 
 
Fernando Cathedral and the Gourtliouse face, 
 and Military Plaza, in the center of which 
 stands the graceful City Hall. 
 
 San Pedro Park is a beautiful woodland 
 of about forty acres where the San Pedro Springs 
 gush from the rocks. Brackenridge Park con- 
 sists of about two hundred acres of native 
 woodland. Here big pecan and live-oak 
 
 Confederate Monument 
 in Travis Park 
 
 trees overarc 
 the banks of tl 
 
 "'waj's and trail 
 >>nu Antonio river. 
 
 In addition, S.in Arit(jni<) has about 185 
 miles of beautiful loaduays u Iiich wind past 
 meadow and farm to the ujiland hills in the 
 northwest where the mountains begin. No 
 city in America has more beautiful automobile 
 roads through a greater variety of scener}'. 
 
First 
 Mission 
 
 Last, but not least, San Antonio; is a city 
 with all the city conveniences^ n'lagnificent 
 modern hotels which provide every luxury of 
 equipment and of the culinary art. It has 
 numerous theatres and places of amusement; it 
 has churches and schools, and a complete street 
 car system whose transfers carry you all over 
 the city. Its water supply, drawn from thir- 
 teen artesian wells at a depth of 1200 to 1600 
 feet is the best and the most wholesome to be 
 had in America. The water is sparkling, cold 
 and delicous to the taste and coming from such 
 a depth is beyond the reach of all germs or 
 impurities. 
 
 These things, combined with a climate 
 unsurpassed, make San Antonio the convention 
 city of America. During eight months of the 
 
 7 
 
year the climate of San Antonio has a rare 
 quality that is unmatched. Even in mid-win- 
 ter, days of perfect sunshine make out-door 
 life delightful. The four summer months have 
 the heat tempered by a continuous gulf breeze 
 and with cool delightful nights make life always 
 enjoyable. 
 
 *^ ' Second Mission 
 
 The people of San Antonio are hospitable 
 and cordial. The stranger within our gate is 
 always welcome. Even the casual man on the 
 street will go out of his way to direct you 
 where you want to go and to show you any 
 simple courtesies in his power. San Antonio 
 has ample halls for the holding of conventions 
 and any convention that contemplates coming 
 to San Antonio is invited to correspond with 
 the Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce 
 who will take pleasure in arranging the detail 
 for the officers. 
 
 San Antonio wants you to come and come 
 again. You are welcome here and the latch- 
 string is always out. 
 
 8 
 
Mt}t €np^ 
 
 San Antonio stands at the junction of 
 the great highways North and South and East 
 and West. It is very easy for conventions 
 that meet here to wind up in side excursions 
 into Old Mexico where the visitor can come in 
 contact with the oldest civilization on the 
 American Continent and can inspect at first 
 hand the remains of the Aztecs, on which is 
 builded the modern Latin civilization of Mexico, 
 and the visitor can get all the pleasure of 
 foreign travel without having to go very far 
 away from home. 
 
 |J 
 
It is only a few hours ride from San Antonio 
 to the Gulf. Here the convention delegate 
 can rest from his labors and get splendid fishing 
 and surf bathing. It is only a few hours ride 
 from San Antonio to the Llano River and the 
 Nueces River where the finest fresh water 
 fishing in America (*aii^ be had, or in season 
 quail shooting, duck shooting, deer hunting 
 and the like. 
 
 Fourth Mission 
 
 SanAntonio is the half way house to the 
 Pacific Slope and the visitor from the North 
 and East can return through New Orleans and 
 the picturesque Old South, and go North 
 through Kansas City and Denver, through the 
 heart of the Golden West. So, from the traveler's 
 point of view, San Antonio is right in the center 
 of things. 
 
 10 
 
Commercial J^an 2lutonio 
 
 Against the historic background of the 
 storied past, modern San Antonio has grown 
 up a busy commercial city, developing more 
 rapidly than any other city in the Southwest, 
 and owing to the fact that her tributary territory 
 is but yet partially developed, possesses almost 
 unlimited opportunities for future growth. 
 San Antonio stands now where Los Angeles 
 stood some six or seven years ago, and competent 
 and conservative judges predict the same 
 phenomenal development for this city in the 
 near future, 
 
 San Antonio is a jobbing and wholesale 
 center, and does the distributing for a territory 
 as large as the state of Ohio. It has also a 
 large business with Mexico. New railroads 
 projected through this San Antonio territory 
 will further develop that country as well as 
 this city, and bring new opportunities for 
 business and investment. 
 
 San Antonio has 214 manufacturing plants, 
 large and small. Its two leading breweries are 
 the largest of the kind in the South and employ 
 over nine hundred men. It has large foundries 
 and machine shops, cotton compresses and oil 
 11 
 
mills, soap and saddle factories, food product 
 factories, clothing factories, sash and blind 
 factories and other enterprises. The develop- 
 ment of an oil field adjacent to the city and the 
 opening up of fine deposits of lignite coal by the 
 projected railroads will do much to develop a 
 manufacturing industry here. 
 
 A Bird's-eye 
 
 San Antonio is the shopping center of the 
 Southwest, and has some of the largest retail 
 establishments south of Saint Louis. Its mer- 
 chants import goods from all over the world, 
 and in the quality and quantity of goods dis- 
 played, as well as reasonableness of price, offer 
 the shopper exceptional advantages. 
 
 In percentage of gain in new buildings 
 San Antonio stands third in the list of American 
 cities. Three splended new hotels were com- 
 pleted in 1909 and three new office buildings 
 of from six to ten stories in height are now 
 rapidly nearing completion. Store buildings, 
 12 
 
apartment houses and residences have been 
 constructed everywhere in the city. San Antonio 
 real estate has shown a steady appreciation in 
 value and business properties in this city offer 
 a most stable and profitable investment, one 
 that is certain to increase in value with the 
 growtli of the city. 
 
 of San Antonio 
 
 San Antonio has six national banks, three 
 state banks one of which does a trust company 
 business, two trust companies, and four private 
 banks. The aggregate deposits are estimated 
 by the bankers at between fifteen and sixteen 
 millions. The San Antonio banks issue letters 
 of credit and traveller's checks and buy and 
 sell foreign exchange. 
 
 [.i 
 
^au antomo'^ i^otel^ 
 
 San Antonio has the best hotels and more 
 extensive hotel accommodations than any city 
 in the Southwest. This city has in The Gunter, 
 St. Anthony and the Menger three modern and 
 up-to-date hotels, which will compare favorably 
 with any in the country. In the Hot Wells 
 Hotel and bath-house, just outside of the city, 
 is a suburban resort with splendjd sulphur 
 baths easily accessible by street car lines. In 
 hotels like the Hutchins and the Nueces, there 
 are smaller family hotels which are elegant and 
 delightful. Among the other well known hotels 
 of vSan Antonio may be mentioned; The Bexar, 
 The Angelus, The New Maverick, The Crockett, 
 and The Elite. The city also has a great many 
 private boar:ling houses of the highest quality 
 and many apartment houses, such as: Terrell 
 Flats, Clerc Apartments, Gurden 
 Apartments, the Randolph and nu- 
 merous others. A complete list of 
 hotels, apartment houses and res- 
 taurants with their addresses follows 
 in the rear of this book together 
 with their rates. 
 
 14 
 
The Menger Hotel 
 
 Thougli the oldest hostlerj' in San Antonio 
 and probably in Southwest Texas, the Menger 
 Hotel is still one of the most modern, having 
 undergone a few months ago a thorough ren- 
 ovation. The hotel was founded in the sixties 
 by one of the first German pioneers and has 
 since then enjoyed a very enviable reputation. 
 It is located in the center of the city and faces 
 Alamo Plaza, one of San Antonio's beauty spots. 
 
 The Menger 
 
 Its general architectural character, patio, large 
 and airy halls and corridors, give it a distinctly 
 Southern stamp, and the old timer anxious to 
 snjoy all that is modern in the quiet, peaceful 
 15 
 
air of yesterday could hardly find a bettef 
 place. Both rooming accommodations and 
 cuisine will satisfy the most exacting. 
 
 The St. Anthony Hotel. 
 
 This truly metropolitan establishment 
 stands opposite Travis Park in quiet surround- 
 ings, one block from San Antonio's busiest 
 thoroughfare, Houston Street. The hotel rep- 
 resents an investment of nearly $2,000,000 
 and has been claimed on good authority to be 
 the finest establishment of its kind in the entire 
 South. Its spacious lobbies, loggias, dining halls, 
 ball room and Roman court are excelled by few 
 hotels in the United States in either size or 
 beauty. The St. Anthony is equipped with 
 
 The St. Anthony 
 
 u ff =■? ••?■ rr rr -<■ S fr rr * ^ CZ 
 
 every modern feature that goes to add to the 
 traveler's and tourist's comfort and the opinion 
 of the fastidious is that its service could not be 
 improved upon, a fact which is amply demon- 
 strated by the circumstance that after less than 
 16 
 
one year of operation it was decided to add to 
 the original structure an annex more than 
 doubling its rooming capacity. 
 
 ff '^^jj. 
 
 5) 
 
 S51 
 
 
 The Qunter Hotel. 
 
 This, San Antonio's latest hotel acquisi- 
 tion, stands at the corner of Plouston and St. 
 Mary's streets and past it floods the city's 
 busiest life. Building and appointments are 
 of the most modern type and represent a very 
 ^ happy effort in combining metropolitan hotel 
 architecture with the city's climate. Though a 
 , great deal of space had to be sacrificed and 
 I. large expenses incurred, its builders wanted an 
 ; establishment suited to climatic conditions and 
 J 17 
 
met very fine success; in fact the Gunter is 
 looked upon today as the ideal hotel structure 
 for southern latitudes. Its foyers, lobby, dining 
 hall, parlors and corridors would be hard to 
 surpass in either spaciousness or beauty of 
 decoration. The service of the hotel is ex- 
 cellent and the establishment has been a success 
 from the day it opened its doors — a few months 
 ago. 
 
 .^an atntonio f act^ 
 
 Population 110,000. 
 
 The center of the largest undeveloped 
 territory in the United States. 
 
 Bank clearmgs amount to 5500,000,000 
 annually. ->*., 
 
 Has the best and purest artesian water 
 supply in the country. 
 
 18 
 
The Cr. 
 
 Has a e! ", i l)y none on 
 
 the North .\i,i 
 
 Its mort;iiii\ ' ii 12 to the 
 
 tlioiisand per -intuti 
 
 Has tlic fiiH'Ht hot,'!- Si! (!<■ ontire Soiitli- 
 wost. 
 
 Has the finest examples of Spanish Missions 
 in the western hemisphere. 
 
 Is the center of education in the South- 
 west and for Mexico. 
 
 Is the social center of Texas. 
 
 Stands third in building operations in the 
 United States. 
 
 The value of buildings completed in 1909 
 exceeds the sum of $4,250,000. 
 
 19 
 
The Nueces 
 
 Its real estate transfers in 1909 readied the 
 total of $14,217,394. 
 
 Post office receipts in 1909 were $243,880.53. 
 
 Assessments in 1909 were $73,714,090. 
 
 Its total tax rate is only $1.42 per centum. 
 
 Its cost only $716,646 to run the city in 
 1910. 
 
 Parks and plazas have an area of 349 acres 
 and are the most beautiful anywhere. 
 
 Has 75 miles of electric street railroads 
 with free transfers to any part of the city. 
 
 Is the hub of all railroad systems in Texas. 
 
 Has a trade territory of 600,000 square 
 
 miles. 
 
 20. 
 
Is located in a rich agricultural district 
 which is rapidly developing. 
 
 Is the trade and tourist gateway to Mexico. 
 
 Has the second largest army post in the 
 United States, Fort Sam Houston. 
 
 Its winter compares well with advanced 
 spring in the North. 
 
 No heat prostrations during the summer. 
 
 Only one cloudy day in five. 
 
 Has the finest hot sulphur wells in the 
 United States. 
 
 Wi^at fou ^l)DuIb ^ee in ^an 
 
 The Alamo^East side Alamo Plaza. 
 Federal Building— North side Alamo Plaza. 
 San Fernando Cathedral — West side Main Plaza. 
 County Court House — South side Main Plaza. 
 City Hall— Center Military Plaza. 
 Capilla de los Milagros (Wonder Chapel— Take 
 
 West End Car. Located at 115 Ruiz street. 
 The Missions— Concepcion de la Acuna, San Jose, 
 
 San Juan and Espada.— Take hacks. 
 Fair Grounds, Hot Sulphur Wells, Insane Hospi= 
 
 tal. Ostrich Farm— Take cars on Navarro 
 
 street, corner East Houston street. 
 
 Maverick Park, Brackenridge Park, Convent of 
 the Incarnate Word, Country Club, Golf Links, 
 Alamo Heights, Davy Crockett's Home, Head 
 
 21 
 
of the River and Palisades — Take River 
 avenue car on East Houston street and Ave. C. 
 
 Fort Sam Houston, West Texas Military In= 
 institute — Take Nolan or Army Post car on 
 East Houston street. 
 
 U. S. Arsenal — Take South Flores car West on 
 
 Houston street. 
 Old Spanish Cemetery — (San Fernando) — Take 
 
 I. & G. N. car West on Houston street. Get 
 
 off at Pinto. 
 City Cemetery — Take S. P. Depot car on East 
 
 Houston street. 
 St. Louis' College, Peacock's College for Boys, 
 
 Lakeside Classical Institute, San Antonio Col- 
 lege for Girls, West End Lake and Park, Protes= 
 
 tant Orphan's Home^ — Take West End car 
 
 West on Houston street. 
 San Pedro Park, Electric Park, Base Ball Park, 
 
 Laurel Heights — Take San Pedro car West 
 
 on Houston street. 
 Crockett Square — Take Tobin Hill car West on 
 
 Houston street; get off at Cypress street, and 
 
 go one block West. 
 Franklin Square— Take I. & G. N. car West, get 
 
 off at San Saba street. 
 Travis Park — Two blocks Northwest of Alamo 
 
 Plaza. 
 Madison Square — Take Tobin Hill car West on 
 
 Houston street. 
 
Irrigated Gardens — Take San Fernando car 
 West on Houston street. 
 
 Main Plaza, Military Plaza, Wasliington Square, 
 Milam Square, Market House and Convention 
 Hall, Santa Rosa Hospital, Catholic Orphanage, 
 Prospect Heights, Academy of Our Lady of 
 the Lake— Take I. & G. N. car West on 
 Houston street. 
 
 Chamber of Commerce— 106 Crockett street. 
 
 Alton Hotel, Mrs. Zimmerman, Prop., Southern 
 Pacific Station. Rates $1.00. 
 
 Angelus Hotel, Gus Franks, Prop., Alamo & 
 Commerce Streets. Rates $1.00 a day and up. 
 European. 
 
 Bexar Hotel, Alfred Sanner, Prop., 327 E. 
 Houston Street. American, $2. 00 to $3. 00 a 
 day, European, $1.00 to $1.50. 
 
 Clerc Apartments, Miss Jane Clerc, 314 Third 
 St. Rates $1.00 to $2.50 per day. 
 
 Colonial Hotel, Mrs. T. S. Cosgrove, E. Commerce 
 Street. Rates $1.00 and up. 
 
 Crockett Hotel, Miss F. Pegg; Crockett and Nacog- 
 doches Sts. European, $1.00 to $2.50 per day. 
 
 Elite Hotel, Wm. H. Salge, Main Plaza, 
 European, $1.00 and $1.50 per day. 
 
 Fairmount Hotel, Owen Reilly, Prop., 359 E. 
 Commerce St. European, $1.00 a day, Ameri- 
 can, $2.00 a day. Special rates by month. 
 23 
 
Grand Central Hotel, Mrs. Hawkins, Prop., 
 1410 W. Houston St., Rates $20.00 a month 
 and up. American. 
 
 Gunter Hotel, Gunter Hotel Co., East Houston 
 St. Rates $1.50 a day and up. European. 
 
 Gurden Apartments, B. F. Gurden, Prop., 902 
 Avenue C. Rates $30.00 a month and up. 
 
 Hutchins Hotel, M. B. Hutchins, Prop., 205 
 Garden St. Rates $2.50 and up per day; 
 $15.00 a week. American. 
 
 Menger Hotel, Wm. Bruce, Mgr., Alamo Plaza. 
 American, $3.00 to $5.00 a day; special 
 rates by week or month. 
 
 Maverick Hotel, C. B. Ward, Prop., 328 E. 
 Houston St. European, $1.00 a day and up; 
 American, $2.00 a day and up. 
 
 St. Anthony Hotel, F. M. Swearingen & Son, 
 Prop., Travis Park. Rates $2 a day and up. 
 
 iSe^taurant^ 
 
 Four Seasons Restaurant, 314 W. Commerce St 
 Mission Cafe, 506 E. Houston St. 
 Matthews Delicatessen, Losoya St. 
 Riverside Restaurant, 101 E. Houston St. 
 Saratoga Restaurant, 228 E, Houston St. 
 
 24 
 
GUESSAZ & FERLET CO.. S. A. 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
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