1 0 6 * Part I hree—The Era of the Empresarios

WHETM HE N^OVED FROM LOUISIANA TO TE)(A5 IW IBOB,

IIPE ENRIQUE NERideBASTROP W A S VIKTCIALLY PENN(- NEVeKTHe'LESS^ BASTROP EXUDED L E S S . H E LIVED IN A AW AIR, OF WEALTH AND GEKTTIUTY OK!H-RCC?M ADOBE fW WHICH /MPR;ESSeD THE SPANISH SAMNI A N T O N I O . ^ HIERARCHY. HE WAS WELCOME ATTHE

GCVERNOR'S PALACE.

THEN, (M l»10 BASTRj:7P MET MOSES AWSTIN iH THC PUNZA AT SAN ANTONIO RIGHT AFTER. GOVERNOR M A R T I N E Z

ORDERED MOSES TO G-GT OUT O F TEXAS.

j tviOSESj 1 K N E W YOU \MHm Y O U V/ERE A L O Y A L S P A N I S H S U B J E C T I N MISSOUKf

Part Three—The Era of the Empresarios * 107

Bastrop's Sates Pitcl ACTIMG AS MOSES AUSTIN'S AGEMT, BARON de BASTROP MET WITH ANTONIO de. MARTINEZ, GOVERNOR. OF SPANISH T E X A S ,

SENOR AUSTIN WANTS TO SETTLB 3O0 AMERJCAM FWVULIES - ALU LOYAL TD S P A I N - I N TEXAS.

THEY WILL QROW CORM, COTTON,' AND 5UGAR.-

BUEA/O/ I SHALL RE•Cp^AM6ND APPROVAL O F SEROR AUSTIN'S PETITION TO

GENERAL ARREDONDO.

Part Three—The Era of the Empresarios

f l M l I M STEPHEN AUSTIN WAS, WORKI MQ- AS AM ASSISTANT EDITOR.0F THE LOU/SlANA AT>V£fU-'SeR, IN N E W ORLEANS W H E N HE RECEIVED A LETTER. FROM HIS MOTHER ON J U N E S , 1&2.I.

STEPHSN HAP ALREADY afSERVED TWO SLOORS TO SAIL FROM GALVESTON WITH SCTTL.ER5 AND SUPPLIES FOR HIS F A T H E R . ' ^ - COLONY.

AS STEPHEN WAS LEAVING FOR NATCHITOCHES ON JUNE 18, HE ^ ASKED A FAVOR FROW A FR^EMD, JOE HAWKINS

OPE 4̂ AND READ My

Part Three—The Era of the Empresarios * 111

JUNE 7,1SZ.I — STEPHEN AUSTIN WAS Er4 ROUTE TO NATCHITOCHES, LOUISIANA TO SkJN THE CONTRACT TO ESTABLISH AN AN&LO COLONY IN TEXAS. _ _ _ _ MEANWHILE IN MISSOURI, MOSES AUSTIN SUMMONED HIS WIFE, M A i y A , T O HIS BEDSIDE A N D M A U E A

1 2 2 if Part Three-The Era of the Empresarios

SrEPHEN AUSTIN WANTED TKE BEST PEOPLE FOK HIS TEXAS COLONY, SO HE RAN N E W S -PAPER ADS WHICH SPELLED OUT WHO SHOULD A K D SHOULD NOT APPLY. MO FRDNTtERSMEN NO DRUhaKARDS WHOSE ONLY SKILL OR GrAIVySLERS.. WAS HUNTING.. .

Part Three—The Era of the Empresarios ^ 1 2 3

STEPHEN AUSTIM PLANNED TO (VU?VE MOST OP Hts "30O" SETTLE TO HIS TEXAS COLONY IN THE MIDDLE OF DECEMBER ISI I . HOWEVER, SOME WENT EARUER, THESE W&RE FARivlERS WHO MOVED AFTE"K HARVESTING CPU?PS AT THEIR OLD PLACE AND WANTED. TO START TO CLEARTHE LAN© IN TEXAS AMD PLANT NEW CROPS.

TO RHACH T H E COLONY WAS W D R E W ROBWSOW WHO ARRIVED

)N NOVEMBER I8ZI WITH HIS W/IFE, NANCY, AND THE.IR TWO

CHILDREN.

HE WAS SOON JOINED SY THREE BROTHERS &-THEIR.FAMILIES; ABNER, JOSEPH, AND ROBERT KUYKENPALL. OF ARKANSAS.

1 2 4 * Part Three—The Era of the Empresarios

^Dr^WROBtNSON TH£ R K S T OF STEPHEN AUSTIN'S "OLD 3 0 0 "

C O L O N I S T S TO SETTLE IN TEXAS. IN 18X4-ROSINSON RECEIVED A GRANT OF %000 A C K E S WHICH COVERED PKESENT-PAY BRA"ZORlA, WASHINeTOW, AND WALUEK. COUNTIES. ^ ^iv

I' -rfiftT

K I BY 1830 ROBINSON WAS

OP'JRATiMG A FERRY AT LA GAHIA CfJOSSINiSr ON THE BRAXOS R.\VER.

A P P O I N T E D C A P T A I N I N T H E CO L O N ( A L

'M M I L I T I A , ROBINSON'S ™ COWVPANV F O U G H T ' T H E KARANKAWAS I N S E P T E M B E K. 18Z%

A N D R E W A L S O O W N E D A H O T E L A N D S A L O O N I N W A S H I N G T O N , T E X A S , A T O W N H E H E L P E D WO\J,\^ O N H I S L A N D ^

O R A N T I N 1(933.

Part Three—The Era of the Empresarios * 1 2 5

t o r tJ O V E R . Z J O C F A M I L I E S W V E D TO AUSTIN'S COLONY I N T E X A S I N JANUARY AND FEBRUARy I g l Z . EACH FARMINQ- FAMILV RECE/VED ONE ^ < S O ^ ( A L W S T n r 7 A C R E S ) A N D EACH RAN CH I N(5-FAMILY G O T O N E srr/o (mouT ̂ ,^3 A C R E S L "

MEANWHILE . ^ _ _ STEPHEN AUSTIN WENT LOO!<IN6r FOR THE COLON ISTS WHO WERg COMINSTO TEXAS ON THE SLOOP/y i / ^ i lX THE VESSEL W A S SUPPOSED TO LAND AT THE MOUTH OF T H E COLORADO R J V E R -

1 2 8 i>: Part Three—The Era of the Empresarios

IN WARCH 1 6 X 7 - STEPHEN AUSTIN W E N T TO SAN ANTONIO TO & I V H A KETOKT ON THE PROOKESS OF HIS COUONY TO GrOV-EKNOR I V V A R T I N E Z . . MARTINET. GREETED Hl/V\ WITH GOOD NEWS.

Part Three-The Era of the Empresarios • 129

COMANCHE HOLD-UP STEPHEN AUSTIN, HIS (NTERPRETEI«^-PR. ROBERT ANDREWS, AND A M A N CAULED MR. WATERS, L E F T SAN ANTONIO FOR MEXICO Q T Y IN MARCH IBZZ.

1 3 4 it Part Three—The Era of the Empresarios

i BY MAR-CH (82.3 STEPHEN AUSTIN HAP BEEN IN MEXICO CITY i El t V E M MONTHS AWAITING THE APPROVAL OF HIS TEXAS COtOHY i HIS VVeLL-BREP MANNER, HIS CONCERM FOR LOCAL PROBLEMS, I W THE PAINS HE TOOK TO LEARN FLUENT SPANISH

Part Three-The Era of the Empresarios * 135

IMUMPH? ON APRIL H, 18X3 THE CONGRESS OF MEXICO APPROVEP AUST INS COLONY »N TEXAS WITH B E T T E R TERMS THAN HE EXPECTEP .

MOST O F THE SETTLERS \hfOULD GET %&0S ACRES.

^ ' - f 'NONE OF AUSTIN 'S X COLONISTS WOULD HAVE TC

PAV TAXES FOR SIX YEARS. TO COVER THE EXPENSES OF SURVEYING AND MILITARY PROTECTION AUSTIN COULD CHARGE HIS S E T T L E R S I 2^CENTS P E R ACRE.

AUSTIN ALSO RECEIVED \00,000 fiyCRJSS POR HIS OWN USE... AND THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT &AVE HIM THE TITLE OF C I V I L

1 3 6 -k Part Three—The Era of the Empresarios

PICKING UP THE PIECES S T E P H E N AUSTIN HAD BEEN AWAY FROM TEXAS A VEAR^AMD A H A L H WHEN HE RETURNED FROM MEXICO CITY IN AU<5^UST 1813 HIS COLONY WAS ON THE BRINK OF COLLAPSE.

A B A I ^ N E D " l ^ D LAND AND^WENT BACK TO T H E U-S. OWE M A N TRADED HIS^SPREAD _ AUSTINj_ NOW A PCM^ERFUL FOR A MULE, THEN RODE IT HOME TO MISSOURI.

EMPRESARIO, PUBLISHED SOME RULE TO GUIDE

WE SHALL PICK UP THE PIECES AND START ALL OVER.

Part Three—The Era of the Empresarios * 137

WITH STEPHEN AUSTIN BACK IN TEXAS HIS COLONY STARTED TO IMPROVE. M A N V PEOPLE WHO HAD G-ONE BACK EAST DECIDED TO RETURN. NEWCOMERS ALSO AKR iVED.

BY LATE l 8 Z t BARON de. BASTRpR AUSTIN'S LAND COMMfSSIONEK,

HAD ISSUED TITLES. AUSTIN FELLTHREE FAMIUES SHORT OF THE 3 O 0 FAMILIES HE HAD CONTRACTED TO BRING TO TEXAa AT ANV RATE, THE 2,<?7 BECAME KNOWN AS

m OLD 300.

3 8 f< Part Three—The Era of the Empresarios Part Three—The Era of the Empresarios * 139

The First Texan of We BECAUSE OF THE VAST AMOUNT OF MONEY, L/VESTOCK, A N D SLAVES HE BROUGHT INTO TEXAS.THE MEXICAN QOVERWMENT GRANTED TEN LEAGUES OF LAND TO JARFD ELLISON OROCE OM JULY X<?, i&m. HIS HOLDINGS SPREAD OVER PRESENT-DAY GRIMES_AND WALLER COUNTIES. GRIMES A N U WFTLUTL^ ^-UU1^41 I t o . A r C \ ^

SOON GROCE HAP A MANSION ATOP A HILL ON HIS BERNARDQ PLANTATION N £ A ^ HEMPSTEAD, WALLER.COUNTY, WHERE HE LIVED UNTIL THE MALARIA EPIDEMIC OF 1853. ^ " '

Part Three—The Era of the Empresarios

JARET> GROCE, THE WEALTHIEST M A M IN AUSTIN'S COLONy, CULTIVATED W H A T W A S PROBABLY THE FIRST COTTON CROP IN T E X A S , OVER 90 S L A V E S HARVESTED THE C R O P IN f8ZZ. OM H I S S E R -MARf30 PLANTATION IN FRESENT-my ^? a, G,KlfvM=S AND ^ ^ WALLER, CDUNTIE 0 03

VVNEIVI GROCE'S SON LEONARD FIMISHED COLLEGE tN GEORGIA IN 181S HE BROUGHT HOME TO TEXAS WHAT IS BEUEVED TO BE

Part Three-The Era of the Empresarios * 1 4 1

IN OCTOBER ( 0 i 3 STEPHEN AUSTIN, ACCOMPANIED BARON BASTROf? CHOSE THE SITE FOR THE UNOFFICIAL CAPITAL OF H/S COLONY—A HIGH, EASILY DEFENSIBLE e>LUFF FtFT£e.hl MILES FROM THE MALARIAL SWAMPS OF THE GULF COAST AMP 175 MILES EAST OF SAN ANTONIO. ^

1 4 2 Part Three—The Era of the Empresarios

Af<OUMD I^OVEMBER 1823 SETH INGRAM BEGAN SURVEYING A Fi\/E L S m U E EXPANSE OF PRAIRIE A N D WOODLAND WHICH WOUL D ENCOMPASS THE TOWN OF SAN FELIPE de- AUSTIN.

Part Three—The Era of the Empresarios * 143

152 * Part Th ree -The Era of t he Empresarios

^•^:IJ? ^Z^L^S^'^^^^ IMTORTANT EMPRESARIO IN T E X A S WAS ANOTHER MISSOURIAN NAMED

HE TRIED TO OOTAIN A N EMPRESARIO &RANT IN I81Z

BUT THE MfeXtCAN p AUTHORITIES TURNED

THIS TIM' WITH THE HELP OF AUSTIN AND BARON de BASTROP, HE RECEIVED A CONTRACT O N APRIL IS, 1625 TO SETTLE fOO COLONISTS NEAR AUSTI M"S COU?WV. CONTINUED...

THREE YEARS LATER

HE WEhOT TO

SALTILLD. CAPITAL O F T H E

COAHUILA Y Te?£AS PROVINCE,

AND REAPPLIED.

Part Three-The Era of the Empresarios • 153

DEWITT'S eOliO WAS MADE POSSIBLE WHEN, »N 1815, SARA SHEUY DEWtTT SOUD H6R PROPERTY IN MISSOURI AND GAVE T H E P R O F I T S T O H E R

HUSBAND, ©REEN.^

GONZALES , m.PBNm- USED THE MlPNEY FROM THE SALE TO DEVELOP HIS COLONY. HEUPINft HIM WERE JAMES K0i.fi, JOSE NAVARRO, AMD 8VRP & CHARLES LOCKHAFO-.

A.

SHOWN H E R E IS

P E V ^ I T S C O L O N Y

SUPER.! WS-POSED OVER.

PRESENT-DAY COUNTIES.

4S

H54 -k Part Three—The Era of the Empresarios

GREEN .DEWITT APPOINTED J A M E S KERR. TO T H E MOST IMPORTANT J O B IN H I S C O L O N V , SUFWEYOR- G E N E R A L .

IN AUCHiST iSZS; KERR ALOKKj WtTH EKAOTUS "DCAF-SMITH, BKAZIU DURBIN, G E R o N HINDS, JOHN WkSHTMAN, JAMES MUSICKf A N P A MR. STRICKLAND SELECTED A SITE FOR.THE

CAPITAL OF DEWITT'S COLONY.

Part Three—The Era of the Empresarios * 155

mmm WAS THE ONLY MEXICAN E M P R E ^ R I O

TO ORGANIZ-ET A COLONY IN T E X A S . 8 0 R M IN 176 5" TO RICH ARISTOCRATIC PARENTS IN TAMAUUPAS, MEXICO, HB "PASSED UP A CHANCe TO STUDY IN EUROPF, INSTEAP He SOLD MlMIWe s u p p u e s . _ ,

1 5 6 • Part Three-The Era of the Empresarios

^Mexican Empresario TURNING-HIM D O W N . ., A A It W „ bl . , ^

£ = : : f /

T H E N , I N \m."c, A F T E R IV\EXICO VWON iMDepENOENce F R O M S P A I N m M ' ^ ^ &oveRWMENT A P P R O V E D D E I C O N ' S PETmSJ-ra l e r r i ^-1 MEXICAN F A M I L I E S I N W H A T A R E N O W C A L H O U N A N D VICTORIA COUNTIES, AND mRTf O F L A v X c X . ^ K S O N A N D

" • DEWITT COUNTIES.

Part Three—The Era of the Empresarios * 157

DE LEON'S COLONY, T H E ONLY PREDOMINANTLY MEXICAN COLOJY IN TEXAS, WAS ESTABLISHED IN i S Z f BV MARTIN D E L E O N . BY OCTOBER HE AND TWELVE RAMIUES HAD SETTLeD AUONfiTHE G U A D A L U P E

R I V E R AT CYPRP-SS SKOVE.