USA > Texas > A pictorial history of Texas, from the earliest visits of European adventurers, to A.D. 1879. Embracing the periods of missions, colonization, the revolution the republic, and the state; also, a topographical description of the country together with its Indian tribes and their wars, and biographical sketches of hundreds of its leading historical characters. Also, a list of the countries, with historical and topical notes, and descriptions of the public institutions of the state > Part 48
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15. BRAZOS .- Named for the river of the same name. Bryan, on the Houston & Texas Central Railroad, one hundred miles from Houston, is the county-seat. Bounded north by Robertson and Madison, east by Grimes, south by Washington, and west by Burleson. It is in the heart of the cotton region ; the land is exceedingly fertile, and being on the railroad, is rapidly filling up with an agricultural population. The Agricultural and Mechanical College of the State is located four miles south of Bryan. Pop_ ulation of the county in 1870, 9,205; assessed value of property in 1876, $2,330,779 ; the county was created in 1841; surface undulating; about an equal portion of prairie and timber.
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16. BROWN .- Named for Henry S. Brown; created in 1856. Bounded north by Callahan and Eastland, east by Comanche and Hamilton, south by Lampasas and San Saba, and west by Coleman. Brownwood, the county- seat, is one hundred and ten miles from Waco, one hundred and thirty from Fort Worth, one hundred and forty from Austin, and one hundred and sixty from Dallas. This is in the wheat and stock region ; is well watered,
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having the Colorado river on the south, and Pecan bayou, Jim Ned creek, and numerous smaller streams. The valley lands are rich. Portions of the county are hilly, but well set with grass. Bituminous coal is found in paying quantities. It is a newly settled county. The population in 1870 was only 544. In 1876, the assessed value of property was $619,774.
17. BURLESON .- Created in 1846; named for Edward Burleson. Caldwell, the county-seat, is about twenty miles from Bryan, and thirty from Bren- ham. Bounded north by Milam, east by Brazos, south by Washington, and west by Lee. The southern portion of the county was in Austin's first colony ; that portion above the old San Antonio road, in Robertson's. In 1825, the families of Pancas, Earlys, etc., settled on the old road. In 1830, the Thomsons, Porters, Scotts, Shaw, etc., became permanent settlers. The county, lying on the Brazos river, and the Yegua and Davidson's creeks, is well watered and timbered, and has an immense body of rich land. It is both an agricultural and stock-raising country, and produces sugar, cotton, and wheat. Population in 1870, 8,072 ; assessed value of property in 1876, $934,782. Tenoxticlan, and old Mexican town, was in this county.
18. BURNET .-- Created in 1852; named for David G. Burnet; Burnet the county seat. Bounded north by Lampasas, east by Williamson and Bell, south by Travis and Blanco, and west by Llano and San Saba. About one-fourth of the county, situated on the Colorado river and Hamilton and other creeks, is susceptible of cultivation; the hilly portions are well adapted to grazing purposes; and is well supplied with an abun- dance of mountain cedar and other timber. Population in 1870, 3,658; assessed value of property in 1876, $1,114,577. The water is excellent for drinking purposes; and along the river there are points at which the most valuable water-power can be obtained for manufacturing purposes. The surface is rolling, often mountainous. About one-fourth of the county is timbered with live oak, post oak, elm and cedar. The soil is the common red prairie soil.
19. CALDWELL .- Created in 1848; named for Matthew Caldwell; Lock- hart is the county seat, situated near the head of Plum creck, and is abund- antly supplied with spring water. The country is gently undulating ; soil generally rich ; well watered and timbered. Lockhart is thirty miles from Austin ; Luling, on the Sunset Route, is 155 miles from Houston and fifty miles from San Antonio. About seven miles from Luling are two mineral springs, Cardwell's and Burdits, to which invalids resort. The county is bounded north by Hays and Travis, east by Bastrop, south by Gonzales and west by Guadalupe. Population in 1870, 6,672; assessed value of property in 1877, $1,528,007. The league of land upon which the county seat is located, was leased to Byrd Lockhart by Jose Antonio Nevarro, in November, 1831. The surface of this county is undulating, about one-third covered with post oak, live oak and cedar. The soil is dark prairie loam, intermixed with sand. There is a great deal of prairie known as " hog wallow "-rich and waxy.
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20. CALHOUN .- Created in 1846; named for John C. Calhoun; Indianola is the county seat. Bounded on the north by Victoria and Jackson, east by Matagorda, south by the Gulf of Mexico, and west by Aransas and Refugio. It was at Pass Cavallo, in this county, that La Salle landed in 1685. Settlements were made in the county as early as 1828. In 1835, Cox's Point, opposite to Lavaca on the bay, became a place of business. Linnville, four miles above Lavaca, became a shipping point in 1839; and was burned by the Comanches in 1840; after which Lavaca became the principal port. Indianola was founded a few years later, and soon became the principal seaport. It has a railroad to Quero, in Dewitt county. Pop- ulation in 1870, 3,443; assessed value of property in 1876, $542,372. It is surrounded east, south and west, by water. Green Lake lies within it. Powder Horn Bay and Chocolate Bayou penetrate into it on the south. The surface is a dead level, about one-fifth part being sprinkled with scrubby live oak. The soil is of flat, sandy earth, not very productive; but fine for grazing purposes.
21. CALLAHAN .- Created 1858; named for James M. Callahan ; organized in 1877; Bell Plain is the county seat; bounded north by Shackleford, east by Eastland, south by Coleman and west by Taylor. The county is about. equally divided between prairie and timber; is a fine grazing county, with a fair proportion of good arable land. It is situated upon the waters of the Clear Fork of Brazos, Hubbard's creek and Pecan bayou, west of Eastland and north of Brown and Coleman counties. The East and West Caddo Peaks, prominent land marks, are in the south-eastern corner of the county. The Clear Fork of Brazos flows through the north-western corner; Pecan bayou, Jim Ned creek and their tributaries, drain the south-western part of the county ; and the two prongs of Hubbard's creek, with their branches, the balance. There is an abundance of good timber and pure water in all parts of the county, and the soil is rich, particularly in the valleys. Several good military roads traverse the county from east to west, and north and south.
22. CAMERON .- Named for Edwin Cameron; created in 1848; Browns- ville is the county seat. It is bounded north by Nueces, east by the Gulf of Mexico, south by the Rio Grande, separating it from Mexico, and west by Hidalgo. Brownsville is connected by a railroad with Brazos St. Jago. It is 160 miles from Corpus Christi; 300 from San Antonio, and 340 from Gal- veston, with which it has regular communication by steamers. Before the revolution, this territory belonged to the State of Tamaulipas, and Mexican stock ranches were established early in the present century. In 1820, Father Bolli, to avoid the raids of hostile parties, took a large stock of cattle to Padre Island. But the same year a severe storm swept over the island, destroying the stock, and also the village of Brazos St. Jago. Brownsville was settled by Americans in 1848. During the civil war, 1861-4, it was a place of considerable trade, until it was occupied by the Federal army under General Banks, in 1864. The establishment of a free belt on the Mexican side of the river has greatly impaired the commercial interests of
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the city, and the frequent raids for cattle stealing have diminished the stock in the range. In 1870 the population of the county was 10,999; assessed value of property in 1876, $1,610,562.
23. CAMP .- Named for J. L. Camp; Pittsburg is the county seat; created in 1874. It is the smallest county in the State, containing but one hundred and eighty-six square miles; bounded north by Titus and Morris, east by Morris, south by Upshur, west by Wood. It is a timber country ; well watered, and possessing a rich soil. The Tyler and Clarksville railroad passes through the county. Assessed value of property in 1876, $504,648.
24. CASS .- Created in 1846; named for Lewis Cass; Linden is the county seat; bounded north by Bowie, east by Arkansas, south by Marion, and west by Morris. It is one of the timber counties of North-east Texas; well watered, with a soil which produces fair average crops. The railroad from Marshall to Texarkana passes through the county ; the depots are Atlanta, Queen City and Kildare. There are some interesting Indian mounds on the line of the East Line railroad. Population in 1870, 8,875; assessed value of property in 1876, $1,429,162 ; produces the greatest abundance of peaches, apples, etc.
25. CHAMBERS .- Is one of the prairie coast counties; created in 1858; named for Thomas J. Chambers; Wallisville is the county seat. It was included in Vehelin's colonial grant. In 1830, Anahuac, on the bay, became the principal port of entry, and the headquarters of Col. Bradburn, the military commandant. It was also the headquarters of the Galveston Bay Company, which purchased Burnet's and Zavalla's grants. N. D. Labadie was surgeon to the Mexican soldiers and afterwards to the Texans. At that early period, James Morgan, J. C. Reed, Wilcox and others, had goods for sale. There were in 1831 about thirty American citizens. The lawyers, P. C. Jack, W. B. Travis, R. M. Williamson, Dr. Dunlap, Munroe Edwards, George M. Patrick, Samuel T. Allen and Taylor White lived on Turtle Bayou. About the first of May, 1832, a meeting was held (says Dr. Labadie in Almanac, 1859) at Captain Dorsatt's, at which it was resolved to resist the payment of duties. This was the first movement against the Mexican government in Texas. A military organization was effected ; P. C. Jack elected Captain. Soon afterward, Jack, Travis, Mun- roe Edwards and Allen were arrested and imprisoned. The citizens of Austin's colony rallied for the deliverance of their fellow citizens from the military prison, and during the controversy, Bradburn was displaced by Piedras, and the prisoners released. On the 13th of June, a meeting was held at Turtle Bayou, at which the citizens pronounced in favor of the Constitution of 1824, and for Santa Anna, who was then the Republican leader. During the revolutionary period, Anahuac ceased to be a place of much importance. The county is bounded north by Liberty, east by Jef- ferson, south by Galveston and the Gulf of Mexico, and west by Harris. Population in 1870, 1,503; assessed value of property in 1876, $374,297. This is chiefly a prairie county, and though it has much good alluvial land
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in the Trinity valley, yet stock-raising is the chief business. Hogs are also abundantly and cheaply raised in the bottoms. Products : corn, cotton, rice and sugar-cane .. This county has the advantage of regular communication with Galveston by navigation over the bay and up the Trinity, so that its products can be easily placed in market at a good price. This county has abundance of fruits, such as peaches, apricots, nectarines and plums. It also has a large supply of good timber on both banks of the Trinity, and supplies Galveston market with much of its fuel. This, like most other coast counties, possesses the advantage of being easily inclosed by water on one or more sides of the farms and hedges on the other.
26. CHEROKEE .- Created from Nacogdoches in 1846; named for an Indian tribe which occupied a portion of the country from 1822 until 1830. The original Tehas village, which gave its name to the State, was in this county near the old San Antonio road, on the east side of the Neches river. It was known as the Bradshaw Place, or Mound prairie; and was settled by the Allcorns and Teels in 1822. The Cherokee village was on the Angelina river. The town of Rusk, the county-seat, was settled in 1846, and laid out as a town the next year. The county is bounded north by Smith, east by Rusk and Nacogdoches, south by Angelina and Houston, and west by Anderson. The surface is undulating; about three-fourths timber; soil excellent. The International railroad passes through the county, and a branch road connects Rusk with Jacksonville, a station on the main road. Population in 1870, 1,179; assessed value of property in 1876, $1,482,463. Well supplied with peaches, apples, and other fruits.
27. CLAY .- Created in 1857; named for Henry Clay. Henrietta is the county-seat. Bounded north by the Indian Territory, east by Montague, south by Jack, and west by Archer and Wichita. This is one of the north- ern counties, bordering upon Red river. It is well watered, and has a fair supply of timber on its water courses, Red river and the two Wichitas, and their numerous tributaries. Immense herds of cattle are pastured here before being driven to Northern markets. The county was settled in 1868; in 1876 the assessed value of property was $455,276.
28. COLEMAN .- Created in 1858, and named for R. M. Coleman. Coleman was selected as the county-seat in 1876. It is bounded on the north by Cal- lahan, east by Brown, south by M'Culloch, and west by Runnels. The soil is good ; country undulating; with some high points, of which the most conspicious is Santa Anna's Peak, eight miles from the county-seat. The Colorado river runs along its southern boundary, and Makewater and other creeks furnish an abundance of water for stock. A village of the Anada- quas was once located in the county, and Jim Ned creek bears the name of one of their famous chiefs. Camp Colorado has been for twenty years occasionally occupied by Rangers. Value of property in 1876, $125,761. Coleman is about one hundred and forty miles from Austin, and the same distance from Dallas aud Fort Worth.
ST. LOUIS
W. T
COURT HOUSE, SHERMAN.
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29. COLLIN .- Named for Collin M'Kinney, who settled in the county in 1842; was created in 1846. M'Kinney is the county-seat. Bounded on the north by Grayson, east by Hunt, south by Dallas, and west by Denton. The east fork of the Trinity takes its rise in this county, and it is watered by numerous creeks ; it is well timbered, and the soil is of a very superior quality. M'Kinney is on the Houston & Texas Central Railroad, two hun- dred and ninety-six miles north of Houston. Population in 1870, 14,013; assessed value of property in 1876, $4,952,750. First settled in 1841, by Dr. William E. Throckmorton, who died in 1842. It is a fine county for fruits.
30. COLORADO .- One of the original counties; named for the river on which it stands. Columbus is the county-seat; selected in 1836 by Eli Mercer, Robert Brotherton, and William D. Lacy, commissioners appointed by the Executive Council at San Felipe. In 1821, a settlement was com- menced at the Atasca Sita crossing of the river, a little below the present town of Columbus. Among the early settlers were Leander Beeson, W. B. Dewees, Ross Alley, William Alley, Thomas Burnes, Peter and John Tumlimson, etc. In 1822, James Cummings was appointed Alcalde. He declined to serve, and John Tumlimson was appointed. Among early set- tlers were F. Pettus, Levi Bostick, - Hunt, John Matthews, Major Montgomery, David Cole, the Coopers, and others. In 1836 William Meni- fee was Chief Justice. The G. H. & S. A. R. R., passes through the county, crossing the river at Columbus. The county is in the heart of the State and admirably adapted to agricultural pursuits or stock-raising; well watered and timbered. Population in 1870, 8,326; assessed value of prop- erty in 1876, $2,696,424.
31. COMAL .- Created in 1848; named for the Comal river. New Braun- fels is the county-seat. The town was laid out and settled in 1845, by Ger- man immigrants, brought to the country by the Prince de Solms, to settle Fisher & Miller's colony. They found it impracticable, on account of the Indians, to proceed to the frontier, and the New Braunfels tract of land was bought as a temporary stopping-place; but became the home of a large and thrifty class of people. It is bounded north by Blanco, east by Hays, south by Guadalupe and Bexar, and west by Kendall. Population in 1870, 5,283; assessed value of property in 1875, $1,346,950. The Comal river rises from copious springs some three miles above the town, and immedi- ately becomes a deep stream of the purest water, in which every fish can readily be seen to the depth of ten or twelve feet. It is difficult to imagine a more beautiful stream. It empties into the Guadalupe at New Braunfels, and affords great water-power for several mills and factories, and an exten- sive valley may be irrigated by it., It has forty feet fall in a distance of three miles. One large cotton and woolen factory has been in operation for several years, and the water-power is sufficient for many more. Two or three flouring and grist-mills, and machinery for other manufactories, are run by the same power, and no better place can be found for a paper-mill, .on account of the great purity of the water. The Guadalupe is a much
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larger stream than the Comal, and passes through the county; and there are several other smaller streams, all skirted with timber, such as black-oak, post-oak, walnut, hickory, pecan, elm, etc. ; but this is not generally good building material. The best building material is stone. All the products of the country are raised here. Peaches, grapes, and other fruits are grown, and some fine wine and table grapes are successfully cultivated. There are orchards of apples, pears, quinces, cherries, plums, etc.
32. COMANCHE .- Named for an Indian tribe; Comanche is the county- seat; created in 1856. Bounded north-east by Erath, south-east by Hamil- ton, south-west by Brown, and north-west by Eastland. It is watered by * the Leon river and its tributaries ; bottom lands good; one-third timber, but not of the best quality. Population in 1870, 1,001; assessed value of property in 1876, $729,430. A fine stock-raising county.
33. COOKE,-Created in 1848; named for William G. Cooke; Gainsville is the county-seat. Bounded north by the Indian Territory, east by Gray- son, south by Denton, and west by Montague. It is well supplied with water; has an excellent soil; is a very productive and desirable county. Population in 1870, 5,315; assessed value of property in 1876, $1,565,363. Corn, wheat, barley, and all the cereals do well; and upon Red river there are several cotton plantations. The soil is prolific, except on the eastern side of the county, through which run the cross-timbers. Timber is fine, consisting of post-oak, ash, pecan, walnut, hackberry and elm, the best building timber being post-oak. Red river forms the northern boundary of the county. Elm Fork of the Trinity heads in the county, within a few miles of Red river, and runs south through the centre of the county. Upou this stream is situated the town of Gainsville. Clear creek and Jordan creek run through the county, the former on the western and the latter on the eastern side. These are fine streams, and their bottoms are both rich and well timbered.
34. CORYELL .- Created in 1854; named for James Coryell, (who was killed by Indians). Gainsville is the county-seat. Bounded north-east by Bosque and M'Lennan, south-east by Bell, south-west by Lampasas, and north-west by Hamilton. It is watered by the Leon and its tributaries; surface rolling ; one-third timber; soil in the valleys rich. Population in 1870, 4,124; assessed value of property in 1876, $1,343,675. Fine grazing county.
35. DALLAS-Lies in the heart of the wheat section of Texas; was orig- inally in Peters' colony, bounded north by Benton and Collin, east by Rock- wall and Kaufman, south by Ellis and west by Tarrant. The first point occupied by whites in the county was Bird's Fort, about fifteen miles above the present town of Dallas. In 1843, Neely Bryan, Mr. Beeman and others settled the new town, which, in 1846, became county seat. It is on the Central Railroad, 250 miles north of Houston, and on the Texas Pacific Railroad, 189 miles west of Shreveport. It is also the southern terminus of
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the Dallas and Wichita Railroad, now in progress of construction. In 1872, before railroads had reached Dallas, it had a population of about fifteen hundred. It now has as many thousand. It has a number of flouring- mills, two cotton compresses, street railroads. It is lighted with gas, and is well supplied with schools and churches. Population of the county in 1870, 13,314; assessed value of property in 1876, $8,665,525. The land is black, sticky prairie, liberally interspersed with timber, in sufficient quantities for all agricultural and manufacturing purposes. The soil is exceedingly fer- tile, and when well cultivated most abundantly rewards the husbandman for his labor. Dallas is increasing in population more rapidly than any town in Northern Texas. Lancaster is a flourishing village, situated fifteen miles south of Dallas, and contains about five hundred inhabitants. Cedar Hill, Scyene, and Breckenridge are small villages, situated in the midst of an industrious and energetic population. The people are industrious, moral, and religious, and take great interest in the establishment of good schools. The principal products of the county are wheat, corn, oats, rye, and barley, each of which is raised in large quantities, and the yield per acre equals that of any section in the Union. At Lancaster there is a foundry, where all the castings required to repair mills, reapers, and threshers are made promptly and on reasonable terms. At Dallas, Cedar Hill, and Lancaster are machine-shops, where reapers and threshers, and all other agricultural implements, are manufactured.
36. DELTA-A small county, created in 1871. It is between the forks of the Sulphur river, and derives its name from its shape. Bounded north by Lamar, southeast by Hopkins, and west by Fannin and Hunt. Cooper is the county seat. It is a fine agricultural and fruit-growing county. As- sessed value of property in 1876, $565,484.
37. DENTON-Created from Fannin in 1846. Named for John B. Denton, who was killed by the Indians, on Denton creek, in 1843. Bounded north by Cooke, east by Collin, south by Dallas and Tarrant, and west by Wise. It produces in profusion all the cereals, cotton, fruits, &c. The county was settled in 1843-4 by Messrs. Medlin, Higgins, Holford, Wagoner, King, Eads, Miller, Gibson, Strickland, Carter, and others. Population in 1870, 7,251. Watered by the Elm fork of the Trinity, Clear, Duck, Hickory, Deuton, and other creeks. There is a great variety and ali qualities of soil ; in a portion of the county, the black, waxy, which is from two to six feet. deep prevailing, while in the Cross Timbers section the soil is sandy and of various qualities, the best being a black sandy loam from one-half to two or three feet deep, the foundation being clay. The prairies west of the Cross Timbers have also a variety of soil, some being rich, black and waxy, with an undulating surface, while in other portions the soil is thin and rocky, the surface being broken and hilly. In the middle and western portions of the county, as fine lands as there are in the State are found in the creek valleys, a portion being prairie. A good county for fruits, and for stock-raising.
38. DEWITT-Named for Green De Witt, who, in 1825, obtained an em-
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presario grant to plant a colony on the Guadalupe river, created from Gon- zales and Victoria in 1846. Clinton was county seat until 1877. m 1873, the Gulf, West Texas and Pacific Railroad reached Cuero, and in 1877 that became the county seat. Bounded north by Gonzales, east by Lavaca, south by Victoria and Goliad, and west by Karnes. Cuero is seventy miles from Indianola It is a fine agricultural and stock-raising county ; well watered, and has immense bodies of rich lands. Population in 1870, 6,948, assessed value of property in 1876, $1,987,996. The Guadalupe river runs through the center of the county, and into it flows a number of smaller streamns. The surface is undulating, and covered with a small growth of oak, elm and mulberry. The soil is sandy loam on the high lands, and still richer in the bottoms, there being no poor land in the whole county, except along the post oak ridges. Health is good.
39. DUVAL-Bounded north by McMullen, east by Nueces, south by Starr, and west by Enignal. Named for the Duval family; organized in 1875. It is one of the stock-raising counties of the Southwest.
40. EASTLAND-Named for W. M. Eastland, one of the Mier prisoners, shot at Salado by order of Santa Anna. Created in 1858; Eastland the county seat. Bounded north by Stephens, east by Erath, south by Comanche, and west by Callahan. It is a new county in the stock-raising region, and is but sparsely populated. In 1876 the assessed value of property was $23,420. Eastland county is on the dividing ridge between the waters of the Leon and those of Hubbard's creek. This divide consists of a succes- sion of bold, rocky hills, east of which the county is covered with a dense growth of post-oak, black-jack, and shin-oak timber, and is a fine country for hogs. On the west there are some fine fertile valleys, covered with mes- quite grass, and with good post-oak timber convenient.
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