A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens, Part 28

Author:
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago, Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 954

USA > Texas > Henderson County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 28
USA > Texas > Freestone County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 28
USA > Texas > Leon County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 28
USA > Texas > Anderson County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 28
USA > Texas > Limestone County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 28
USA > Texas > Navarro County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 28

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Just north of Nechesville are two small hills containing excellent ore. With the exception of a few areas too small to be of economic value, these are all the localities at which high-grade ores exists north of the railway. Sonth of the railway two areas of similar ore are mapped. These are, however, not very extensive. One of them is on the W. S. McDonald tract, the other on the H. Anglin.

There is, however, good ore on the high divide between Still's and Ioni creeks. It has a length of thirteen miles and an aver- age width of a mile and a half, giving an area of say nineteen square miles. The ore on this is of a good quality, but it is not as thick nor as continuons as the beds north of the railroad. The boundary of this bed, beginning in the western part of W. Frost league, passes in a direction northeast by east through the northern portions of the P. Martin, R. Erwin, and Geo. Clewis surveys, crosses the Fien Rob- erts, G. Killion, W. C. Carter, W. Fore- man, and S. Yarborough tracts to the T. Pate survey, where it has its eastern point. From here it returns to the place of begin- ning by a line passing west through the Yarborough league, the Webb and Ben- nett surveys, and thence southwest through the W. E. Huddlestone, Neville, Killion, Webb, Thomas Hill, J. E. Palmer, Jolın Swearingen, J. W. Humy, T. H. Hamil- ton, J. H. Gillespie, and Wm. Frost surveys.

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LIMESTONE, FREESTONE AND LEON COUNTIES.

In addition to the areas described there are several others which, on account of the thinness and siliceous character of the ore, are not of as great economic importance. One of the largest of these areas is of rec- tangular shape and lies between the greater high-grade ore areas at the head of Mount Prairie creek and those of Walnut creek, and forming the divide between these creeks. It embraces parts of four surveys, -the Elizabeth Grace, James Hall, J. B. McNealy, and John Little. Two other simi- lar areas occur between the first two high= grade areas described and the third lying east and west of Beaver post office re- spectively.

On the Stephen Crist survey, south of Pal- estine, there is another area of this siliceous ore, covering more than a square mile; and just sonth of Ioni creek are two other hills capped with similar ore. The most west- erly of these covers parts of the Wm. R. Wilson, A. Killough, J. Gibson, C. Grigs- by, and Jose M. Mora surveys; and the other, beginning in the sontheastern por- tion of the Mora survey, covers parts of the Kennedy, John Blair, C. Adams, R. Walker, B. H. Adams, and W. W. Pharr tracts. It is hardly probable that these ores, if they can be called such, will be utilized at present.

The scarcity of limestone existing in the counties of eastern Texas tends greatly to the enhancement of the value of deposits of even limited extent, and the siliceous character of those of Tertiary age still fur- ther limits the supply really suitable for lime. For these reasons, the limestone which has been mentioned in the descrip- tion of the Saline in Anderson county has

an exceptional value. It is of a yellowish white color and is cut by numerous seams of pure calc spar or carbonate of lime. Although no analysis has been made of it as yet, it is certainly suited to the manu- facture of lime of good quality, and as a flux for the rich iron ores of the region, so soon as smelters are erected for their utilization. It is probable, if we may judge from the extent of the outcrop of this stratum, that there is a considerable body of it,-enongh for the supply of the immediate vicinity for many years.

The greensand marls, as has been shown in the general section, are usually fromn thirty to forty feet in thickness, underlying the iron ores and overlying the gray clays and white sands. In many places, how- ever, the bed has not its average thickness, owing to the great amount of erosion which has taken place. Thus, east of Palestine, on the road between that city and the oil wells, it is in places not more than one foot in thickness. It is found here, as at many other places in the connty, as the yellow indurated variety, which is used in places for building stone.

South of Palestine the greensand marls are of similar character, although the un- decomposed material, with many shells, is found in the Elkhart section below the upper indurated variety.

North of Palestine the same greensands occur for a distance of three miles, while on the west unaltered greensands with calcareous shells are found.

The soils resulting from the decompo- sition of these greensand marls, where they form the surface of the ground, are of red or brownish red or mulatto color,

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HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDERSON,

and are the most productive of all the soils of the region except those of the river bottoms.

The vahe of the greensands as fertilizers for the more sandy soils of the region has Leen stated. Even the yellow or altered greensands contain sometimes as much as four per cent. of potash and ten per cent. of lime, both of which are valnable ingre- dients for the sandy soils; the first supply- ing available plant food, while the lime acts upon the other mineral matters and prepares them for the use of the plant.

The special adaptability of the soil and climate of Anderson county for the raising of fruits, melons, and vegetables has been most fully proven by actnal experiment. To this success the greensand soils have contributed largely, and the great extent of this formation over the county, which renders it easy of access to almost every section, and its perfect applicability as a fertilizer for the sandy fruit soils, renders the future of agriculture and fruit-raising in this county one of the most magnificent possibilities. All that is required to de- velop this great field is the intelligent use of the materials provided so lavishly by nature.

The building stones of this county are confined to the indurated altered greensand marls and other sandstones. "The green- sand bed is from thirty to forty feet thick, but it is only in parts of it that the hard- ening process has gone on to a sufficient extent to make it available for building purposes. These indurated places vary from one to ten feet thick. It is of a chalky or waxy consistency, dense and

compact in structure, and easily shaped into the desired form. On the case with which it can be cut, and also a certain tongliness which it preserves in spite of its softness, depends its universal use. wherever it can be found. It is locally known as " yellow rock," " yellow sand- stone," or "gumstone." Sometimes the greensand has become liardend without losing its green color, and in such cases we have a green rock of very similar nature to the yellow one just described. Such a material is found in Doyle's Gap and on the slope of the Mount Selman iron range in Cherokee connty. The glanconite in this green rock is generally mixed with a a large amount of clay of the same color, and in some places the clay almost entirely replaces that mineral. This presence of clay probably accounts for the hardening of the bed, as it has acted as a cement in indurating the glauconite. Sometimes also finely disseminated carbonate of lime is the cementing material in such rock.

"The other sandstones are more limited in extent and only locally valuable, being due to the action of ferruginons solutions on the loose sands which covered the beds of ore and lie along the hillsides."

" Ten miles east of Palestine is seen a series of black and chocolate colored sands, lying horizontally and containing specks of mica. They are impregnated with bi- tuminons matter, sometimes in the form of stiff sticky asphalt and at others as mineral oil. In this neighborhood six wells were bored for oil by a Palestine syndicate in 1887, but little or no oil was found. The following two sections of

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LIMESTONE, FREESTONE AND LEON COUNTIES.

borings from data collected by Mr. J. L. Mayo, contractor, show the associations of the oil-bearing strata:

"1, Soil, 15 feet; 2, rusty sand (some oil), 3 feet; 3, chocolate colored hardened sand, 6 feet; 4, alternate strata of sand and clay, 34 feet; 5, sand impregnated with oil, 14 feet; 6, clay and sand, 43 feet; 7, quicksand and water, 6 feet; 8, blne lig- nitic clay, 159 feet; 9, loose sand, 30 feet. 1, rusty clay, 15 feet; 2, quicksand, 15 feet; 3, light colored clay, 22 feet; 4, sand impregnated with oil, 36 feet.

" Oil-bearing sands were passed through in all the borings, and oil is occasionally seen in the creeks and springs of the neighborhood, but in none of the borings was it found to flow in any quantity. The reason of this is doubtless due to the fact that the oil-bearing stratum has been cut through by numerous creeks, and the oil, if indeed it ever did exist in any quantity, lias been drained off.

"The asphalt is probably dne to the oxidation of the residuum of oil left in the sand. In many places the summer heat has softened it and caused it to run out of the sand, forming small pools on the hill- sides.

" This is especially true where the bi- tumen-bearing bed has been exposed on the surface (as it often is) and subjected to all the atmospheric influences. The amount of asphalt which could be obtained in this locality is not very large, and the asphalt. bearing sand is apt to run into oil-bearing sand, so that the quantity in any one spot is very uncertain. There is, however, enough of the material to be used for pav- ing in the surrounding towns of Palestine,

Jacksonville, New Birmingham, Rusk, and other places, and if the asphalt sand was used in its natural state on the streets and pavements it would greatly increase the . welfare and comfort of these towns."

These materials exist in quantity and of excellent quality in Anderson county, bnt the survey has not yet made any detailed investigation of them.

" Elkhart Wells are situated one mile southeast of the town of Elkhart, in An- derson county. They vary from thirty to sixty feet in depth, and have been sunk for the sake of the mineral waters they contain. A hotel is being built here and a health resort started. Some of the waters are comparatively free from mineral matter, while others are strongly impreg- nated with iron, alum, and sulphur. Some of the old wells here are said to have smelled so strongly of sulphur as to have been obnoxious, and were filled up. The surrounding country is flat, low, and underlaid by sand and clay. These are brown from the presence of vegetable matter, and contain iron pyrites, lime, gypsum, and sulphur. It is doubtless to the mutual decomposition of these ma- terials that the mineral matter in the water owes its origin. Some of the waters have a strong sulphur taste and others have the pungent effects of alum and iron salts." The Anderson county saline is only one of a series of these deposits of salt which seems to extend in two or more lines from northeast Texas in a sontheast- erly direction toward the gulf.

The existence of other salines at differ- ent localities in eastern Texas has been noted several times in the publications of

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HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDERSON,

this survey and of those which have pre- ceded it, as well as elsewhere.

The principal salines so far described in east Texas are:

Grand saline, Van Zandt county; Steen saline, Smithi county; Brooks saline, Smith county; saline, Anderson county; saline, Freestone county, two miles east of Butler.

The conditions surrounding these salines are very nearly the same in all instances. There is generally a depression surrounded by wooded hills in which are found lime- stones of white or gray color. The depres- sion is sometimes marshy, or during the winter months holds a body of water of greater or less extent, which evaporates as the summer approaches and leaves an in- crustation of salt on the ground.

The limestones are white to gray in color and are sometimes quite siliceous, and sometimes they are glauconitic. They are characterized especially by the seams of calcite they contain, and' are proved by their fossil contents to be the equivalents of the Ripley group (Cretaceous) of Missis- sippi. The underlying clays belong to the Ponderosa marls, numbers of this oyster being found at different places in them.

Surrounding these salines on every side we find strata of Tertiary age, and the salines themselves are therefore in the nature of Cretaceous inliers in that form- ation. They represent islands in the Ter- tiary sea formed by projecting eminences of the underlying strata of Cretaceous age.

These salines occur also in Louisiana, where they have been studied by E. W. Hilgard and F. V. Hopkins. "The only

known exposures of the limestones are at Winfield and near Chicot, in St. Landry's parish. The same strata, however, come very near the surface at all the various salt wells in Bienville and Winn parishes, and is the formation to which the sulphur of Calcasieu and the rock salt of Petit Anse belong."

Hilgard regards the series of Cretaceous inliers " which traverse Lonisiana from the head of Lake Bistenau in a south-southeast direction, terminating probably in the great rock salt mass of Petit Anse " as representing. " summits of an (more or less interrupted) ancient ridge, a kind of back- bone to the State of Lonisiana, whose re- sistance to denudation has measurably in- flnenced the nature and conformation of subsequent deposits." The connection be- tween these salines and the strata contain- ing them and the deposits of oil, sulphur, and gypsum existing in southwestern Louisiana is well worthy of notice.

At the sulphur mine in Calcasieu parish the boring of a well 1,230 feet deep showed oil for the first 383 feet.

" The evidence of oil consists in a num- ber of black banks of hardened bitumen on the northern border of the marsh prairie and on its surface; also quite a number of babbling springs, emitting an inflammable gas; and ernde petrolenm may be found by walking over the marsh. So abundant is this natural discharge of crude oil that the log haulers for miles around obtain their only supply of lubri- cating material from these springs. And yet the boring made in one of the most promising spots, to obtain a more abun- dant flow of oil, was almost entirely unsnc-

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LIMESTONE, FREESTONE AND LEON COUNTIES.

cessful. The oil was at one stage of the boring obtained in considerable quantity, but was soon exhausted. The well was continued still further down into the bowels of the earth, and instead of more oil the marvelous deposits of sulphur now so well known throughout the State was discovered."* The sulphur is of unequaled thickness and purity, and the gypsum, which is over 500 feet thick, is also pure.

The existence of similar areas and con- ditions in east Texas, and the discovery of rock salt underlying Grand Saline, in a deposit nearly a mile in length and over 200 feet thick, are ample encouragement for the expenditure of the money necessary to sink trial wells in every such location known in the State.

This geological structure, so graphically described by Mr. Dumble, has its effect on the surface products. The dark-gray or red sandy uplands and the black bottoms grow cotton, corn, fruits, flowers, timber and vegetables of good quality and quan- tity. Cotton is of course the first, and corn follows. Tobacco does well and the grasses. " The timber," says a local writer, " consists of varieties of the oak, hickory, ash, gum, black jack, pine, pecan, walnut, linden, sassafras, persimmon, chinquapin, and other varieties common to this lati- tude. Of the valuable timbers in this county, a great abundance are found on the Trinity river, on the western boundary of the county and on the Neches in the east, white oak, burr oak, overcup oak, pin oak, water oak, white hickory and walnut in almost exhaustless quantities.

In the eastern and southeastern portions of the county are large bodies of yellow-heart pine forests, from which millions of feet of excellent Inmber are marketed annually at good profits to the producer."

The county is, like Henderson, one of that Trinity-Neches ribbon of Texans coun- ties so convenient to mark out by drawing a line across from river to river. Ander- son has been clipped off between Hender- son and Houston counties, and divides the Neches with Cherokee, and the Trinity with Freestone and a small part of Leon county. It is abont half way between the city of Houston and the Territory line, and only three counties from the Louisiana line, about half way between that and Waco, while only one county intervenes between it and the one containing the comparatively ancient city of Nacogdoches.

SETTLEMENT.

It was this same Nacogdoches, which like a Mexican watch-dog standing glar- ing and growling across the Sabine fence at Natchitoches, the equally glaring and more aggressive watch-dog of the Ameri- cans, that gave Anderson's territory some of its earliest attention in history. On March 4, 1801, when there was so much rumor of American filibustering attempts to secure Spanish territory west of the Sabine and Red rivers, it was reported to the commandant at Nacogdoches that a force under an American named Philip Nolan had left Natchez, on the Mississippi river, and were then in the Brazos fails region ostensibly on an expedition after wild horses. Lieutenant M. Muzquiz, with a force of sixty-eight regulars and

*Louisiana Geological Survey.

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HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDERSON,

me the spot where Nolan was. The war- rior refused to furnish me with the infor- mation desired. Continued traveling west. About noon passed a lagoon and between it and the Keechi settlement I camped for the night.

" 13. Continned traveling west. Passed about 9 A. M. and abandoned settlement of the Keechi Indians. About 3 P. M. arrived at Santa Maria de Gracia creek.

"14. Traveled from morning until 1 P. M., when I arrived at Los Piedros creek and camped.

"15. Traveled north till 12 P. M., when I turned west. About 4 P. M. I arrived at La Vibora creek, where I spent the night.

" 16. Started at sunrise, course south. Passed through an abandoned settlement of Tehuacana Indians, whence I wended my way west. About 3 P. M. I arrived at the head of the Navasota.

"17. At daybreak I started, course west. About 8 A. M. I was informed by the sergeant commanding the vanguard that two persons on horseback had been seen and that they had suddenly hidden themselves in the thicket. I sent after them and they were soon after found and brought before me. They proved to be two Indians. After some questions I asked them, they informed me that there were in that region abont twenty-five men with Nolan; that all of them had long beards; that if I traveled fast, course west, I would get to the place where they were about sundown. The Indians told mne they would guide me a route between north and west so that I could get without being seen to the place where Nolan was. They said that the place was between the Monte

thirty-two volunteers, was ordered in pur- suit on the date above mentioned. On his way he kept a diary of his travel, a part of which is here given, as translated in Baker's sketches:

" March 4. Left Nacogdoches early in the morning. Took the road leading to San Antonio and camped at the Rancho de la Botija.

"5. Continued iny march on the sanie road. Camped on La Rais creek.

"6. Arrived at Terroros creek.

" 7. Continued my march on the same road. About 9 A. M. arrived at the An- gelina river, which having risen I ordered some rafts to be made to cross it. Camped on its banks.

" 8. At daybreak sent a corporal and six men to repair a wooden bridge on the Neches river, so as to facilitate our inarch. Left with the troops at 8 A. M. At 1 P. M. reached the Neches, and the bridge being repaired I crossed.

" 9. Left the Neches at 7 A. M. About 9 A. M. I quitted the San Antonio road and taking a course between north and west I arrived at San Pedro creek, where I camped for the night.

" 10. Started early in the morning and camped for the night at La Laguna.

"11. Left at 7 A. M., traveling west. About 10 A. M. arrived at Trinity river, which having risen, I ordered rafts to be made to cross it. At sundown six Texas Indians joined us.

" 12. At daybreak I sent four volun- teers to the settlement of the Tehuacana Indians on the Brazos river, in order that they might bring with them a captain of the Texas Indians called El Blanco, to show

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LIMESTONE, FREESTONE AND LEON COUNTIES.

Grande and the Brazos river. I camped for the night at the Arroyo del Atole.

" 18. Started at daybreak, course be- tween north and west. Traveled till 2 P. M., when I camped close to a spring.

"19. Traveled, course north, till about 6 p. M. Then I took course west and stopped on the banks of the Blanco river. I sent seventeen men with the interpreter, Mr. Barr, to explore the place where Nolan was. They returned before daybreak and informed me that they had found a wooden intrenchment and a pasture ground, with some horses on the banks of the Blanco. I immediately started wending my way between west and south.

"20. At daybreak I arrived at the wooden intrenchment. Detained two In- dians, who informed me that Nolan and his men were at a place between a creek and some hills, and that they had a house without a roof. As soon as night closed, I started, guided by the Tahuaya Indians, and traveling all night I arrived before daylight at the place where Nolan was, and concealing our men behind a hill waited for the morning to act."

Of course the surrender of Nolan's men and Nolan's death are matters of general history and need not be detailed, the itin- erary being all that is of interest, as show- ing something of what such a body of travelers in 1801 might find in what are now the counties of Anderson, Leon, Freestone and Limestone, as well as the relation which this territory held to that international episode.

From 1801 on for nearly three decades the Indians, with little interference, no doubt, held possession of these solitudes

together with the game they hunted. It was not that long, however, before plans were begun leading to their expulsion and the capture of their woodlands and prai- ries. The Mexican government, like many other short-sighted governments, began to encourage immigration, to its lands above the Great River del Norte, in a way which was destined to be too great for her powers of assimilation. This was by the empresario or colony contractor system, which will be more fully described in the sketch of Limestone county than is necessary here. It was four years less than three decades that two contractors, who became beloved leaders in Texas af- fairs, received grants of territory radiating from Nacogdoches; one of these was Jo- seph Vehlein, whose tract extended to the southwest, cornering in its northeast point at Nacogdoches, with the King's Highway to San Antonio as its northern border; this was granted on December 21, 1826, on consideration that he introduce 300 families. On the next day a New Jer- sey man, David G. Burnett, was granted a large tract above the old road and having its southeast corner at Nacogdoches. and claiming most of the territory considered in this volume, except that west of the Navasota. He also was to introduce 300 families. The colonies did not prosper for several reasons, although three years later, nearly, on March 12, 1829, the land east of there was granted to Lorenzo de Zavala for 500 families. The strain between the Mexican and American nations, however, culminated in 1830, when a law was passed making null and void the American con- tracts. This lasted four or five years in

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HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDERSON,

its influence in cutting off these colony movements. And it was not until 1835 that these three interests were restored to their original force, and then were united under a new company to whom they were sold, called the Galveston Bay Land and Colonization Company, who still adver- tised their immense tract under the head of Burnett's, Vehlein's and Zavala's colo- nies. Before noticing the results of the work of this company, a glance at what was going on in this territory between the time of the first grant in 1826 to Mr. Bur- nett, and in 1835 when the Galveston Bay Company began to locate claims. In this respect this sketch is fortunate in having an excellent account from an eye-witness and participator in the event, written a short time before his death, by Mr. W. Y. Lacy, a well-known old citizen of Pales- tine, for a friend who had requested it of him.

Says Mr. Lacy: " In accordance with a promise I made you, on our first acquaint- ance, I will now endeavor to give you such information as I am in possession of touch- ing the early settlement of this county, its Indian troubles, organization, etc. In doing this you will please allow me to di- gress a little from the subject, and go back to the first white settlement made in the Indian country, which comprised all of that territory lying east of the Trinity river, to the most eastern waters of the An- .gelina river, the southern boundary being considered to be the old San Antonio road or King's Highway leading from San An- tonio to Red river. The northern bound- ary was considered to be the Sabine river from its source to a point due north from

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Author: Publication date: 1893 Publisher: Chicago, Lewis Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 954

Author:
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago, Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 954