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Swedes In Texas In Words And Pictures

1st Edition 1918 – in Swedish

2nd Edition 1988 – English Translation

3rd Edition 2007 – WEB Translation

NOTE: This 3^rd Edition 2007 does not contain the Family/Individual Photos and Text. Return to www.swedesintexas.com to Search for your ancestors. There you will find all the Photos and Text embedded with each Family/Individual.

SWEDES IN TEXAS IN

WORDS AND PICTURES

English Translation

1838 1918

New Sweden 88 Austin Area Committee

SWEDES IN TEXAS IN

WORDS AND PICTURES

English Translation

1838 1918

Translator:

Christine Andreason

Coordinating Editor:

James Christianson

Christine Andreason of Mercer Island, Washington

and formerly of Round Rock, Texas was the

translator of this book. Christine is a native born Swede

from Boras, Sweden. She attended Goteborg University

and is finishing her degree at Upsalla University in

Sweden.

Dennis Andreason also of Mercer Island,

Washington and formerly of Round Rock, Texas typed

this text. He is a native Texan from Galveston, Texas

and graduated from Washburn University.

James Christianson of Austin, Texas was the

coordinating editor and reviewer of this work. He is an attorney and certified public accountant and is presently the Chairman of the City of Austin Historic Landmark Commission. He has been a member of the commission since 1975.

DEDICATION

This translation project is dedicated to those

Texas Swedish Pioneers who took the long

and dangerous journey to settle in a new place

called Texas, where they built churches, homes,

businesses and farms. This project is further

dedicated to those Texas Swedish Pioneers

who had the vision in 1918 to preserve the

history of our Swedish ancestors so that future

generations may learn of their past.

New Sweden 88 was a celebration in 1988 of 350 years of Swedes in America and 150 years of Swedes in Texas.

The celebration began in October 1987 with the signing of a State of Texas

proclamation by Texas Governor William P. Clements. Representatives from New Sweden

88 Committees in Austin, Dallas and Houston attended the signing ceremony in the governor’s reception room.

Numerous events were held beginning inDecember 1987 witha Santa LuciaFestival

at Hutto Lutheran Church and Julotta, the traditional Swedish Christmas morning service, at

the New Sweden Lutheran Church.

Hundreds attended a Swedish smorgasbord held at the Balcones Country Club in

Austin in January 1988 with guest speaker United States Congressman Charles Stenholm of

Texas. Special guests included former Austin Mayor Lester Palmer, University of Texas

baseball coach Cliff Gustafson, and Caren Patman, former Democratic Committee woman

from Texas. All are descendents of Texas Swedish Pioneers. Our Swedish musical heritage was highlighted in April 1988 in a Swedish Musik Fest held at Perkins Chapel on the campus of Southwestern University in Georgetown. Numerous talented musicians along with the large Jubilee 150 Choir assembled from area churches of Swedish heritage performed before a crowd of over 700 people.

A highlight of the Jubilee year was the visit in April to Dallas and Houston by

Swedish King Carl Gustaf and his wife Silva as part of a Royal Cities tour in honor of New

Sweden 8 8. A national traveling Swedish Heritage exhibit sponsored by the Swedish Council

of America opened in May in the State Capitol rotunda in Austin,

The annual Midsummer Day celebrations were held in Elgin and Palm Valley in

June. The jubilee year closed with a Hog Massa program at Decker Methodist Church in

September and a Grand Finale program on New Year’s Eve at Gethsemane Lutheran Church

in Austin.

These programs were not possible without a host of volunteers. The following individuals were members of the New Sweden 88 Austin Area Committee and deserve a special thanks.

New Sweden 88 Austin Area Committee

Bert Magnuson - Co Chairman

Jim Christianson - Co Chairman

Eric Carlson

Robert G. Carlson

Rod Johnson

Margarita Smith

Julibeth Swenson Parrish

Valerie Hawkinson Armstrong

Dorothy Lundgren

Marilyn Samuelson

Alpha Gustafson Cannon

Pastor Karl Gronberg

Johanna 0. Wimberley

Carvin 0. Youngbloom

Mary Nell Carlson

Clifford W. Carlson

Ruth C. Bengtson Olson

Eric Wahlquist

Caria Lind Jefferies

Earley Magnusoii

Hildegard Hall

Jack Ransom

TRANSLATION

The original preface to the book Swedes of Texas In Words and Pictures first published in 1918 states “it would have been more logical to publish this work in the English language, but it was considered unfair to the many forefathers who are still alive and who better understand the gamla mordersmal (the old mother tongue).” For many generations following its publication this book, Swedes in Texas in Words and Pictures, was simply only pictures because the words were not understood.

This book, however, preserves an important part of Texas Swedish history. Even though it included only a fraction of the some 7,000 Swedes who settled in Texas and although many Swedish families are not included in this book, we can all leam from the experiences told here and better understand what all our people experienced in this new land called Texas.

In this text we read the stories of eighteen and nineteen year old young men and women caught up in “America fever” who said goodbye to a mother or a father that they probably would never see again. We read the stories of whole families who sold everything and left their homeland, never to return again and go to a place they had never seen.

This massive effort to translate this book took almost five years and involved scores of volunteers who help translate and review the text. The final product is far from perfect, and yes, you will discover mistakes, but the original text had many mistakes and in some parts were not well written. Sometimes the Swedish words in the text were no longer used, and we had to seek the help of a 1920 Swedish -English dictionary. But one thing can be said regarding this effort -no one can at least fault us for trying to translate this book and preserve its history for future generations. That is our legacy.

The idea for translating this text begin during New Sweden 88, the celebration in 1988 of 350 years of Swedes in America and 150 years of Swedes in Texas. The New Sweden 88 Committee of the Austin Area asked Marilyn Samuelson of Elgin to contact numerous people in various old Swedish communities in Texas to see if they would help translate the text. Many supplied translations which were later used in reviewing the text.

With money raised during New Sweden 88 and with a grant for the Austin Heritage Society, the New Sweden 88 Committee of the Austin Area decided to have Christine Andreason of Round Rock, a native born Swede, to translate the text. Her husband Dennis Andreason would type the text.

After the translation was completed many volunteers coordinated by Jim Christianson of Austin reviewed the text. One particular volunteer deserves special mention. Her name is Jean Sellstrom of Austin who volunteered many hours in reviewing the translation and translated many sections in the original effort.

After the project was completed Bert Magnuson, the President of the Texas Swedish Pioneers Association, coordinated the effort to sell the book to those who were interested. At 85 years of age Bert had the enthusiasm of someone a quarter of his age. Bert died shortly after this text went to the publisher. For any project that promoted our Texas Swedish heritage, Bert was always there to volunteer his time and support the effort.

We must also give special thanks to Carv^n Youngbloom and the Hutto State Bank who faithfully kept the financial records of the New Sweden 88 Committee of the Austin Area and the moneys raised in this translation project. In addition we would like to thank Cheryl Rae of Austin who with the help of the computer made all the revisions for this text.

Finally we cannot forget our many volunteers who participated in some way in this translation project, as translators, reviewers, or sellers of books. We say thanks to all of the following people.

Dorothy Lundgren

Evelyn Carlson

E. H. Johnson

Astrid Larson

Mildred Magnuson

Ruth Bengston Olson

Judith Palmer

O.C. Olson

Clifford Carlson

Emil Cederblom

Valarie Armstrong

Alpha Gustafson Cannon

Hazel Tholin

Evelyn Lundgren

Agnie Tholin

Dagmar Lind

Mabel Lindell

Quinton Christianson

Rod Johnson

Ruby Christianson

Dorothy Lax Dytrich

Earley Magnuson

Elin Criswell

Margot Peel

Ruth Seth

Dorothy Hermanson

Henry Peterson

Hilma Peterson

Belinda Berkman Oman

Edith Johnson

Bemice Micklethwait

Tina Stallings

Annie Helge

Bert Magnuson

Lydia Hanson

Virginian Lee Malmstrom

Harry Hanson

Hanna Bergstrom Sutton

Ann Mart Lindbloom

Eric Holmquist

Marilyn Samuelson

Christine Andreason

Eric Carlson

Dennis Andreason

Johanna Wimberly

Evangeline Teichman

Doris Wallin

Hildagard Hall

Evert Ryden

Jean Sellstrom

Jim Christianson

Carvin Youngbloom

Gladys Bergstrom

Mrs.Martin Berklund

MAP OF SWEDEN

THE SWEDES IN TEXAS

IN WORDS AND PICTURES

1838-1918

A HISTORICAL-BIOGRAPHICAL WORK

COLLECTED AND PUBLISHED

ERNEST SEVERIN

EDITED AND COMPILED

DR. ALF. L. SCOTT

PASTOR T. J. WESTERBERG

EDITED AND OVERSEEN

PUBLISHER

J. M. OJERHOLM

PUBLISHER AND EDITING STAFF

Pastor T. J. Westerberg Dr. Alf. L. Scott

E. Severin J.M. Ojerholm

PREFACE

“The Swedes in Texas”, which is hereby presented “in words and pictures”, is not a romanticized story of just a few or many, more or less famous personalities, or some scientific report about the Swedes’ economic, social and religious standing in this state, but simply a collection of facts and statistical information as well as true to life pictures and illustrations covering a timespan of over three quarters of a century of the Swedes’ common history in Texas, collected with quite some effort and printed so these facts would not be forgotten in the future.

Our Nordic forefathers took measures to preserve the memory of their dead for both their contemporaries and descendents with rock-carvings and rune-stones, which are now highly valued and appreciated, a thousand years after they were drawn. The value of this historical and biographical information shall be better understood as time goes on, when those, who with tenacity and determination in living actions, wrote the first chapters in the “History of the Swedes in Texas”, have passed on and joined their forefathers.

To better meet the linguistic needs of the younger generations, it would have been

more logical to publish this work in the English language, but it was considered unfair

to the many forefathers who are still alive and who better understand the old mothertongue than the language of our new country. When the need arises in the future for a continuation of the history of the Swedes in Texas, it should be published in the language of this country to be of greater use to the public. The publisher has devoted three full years to collect the statistical information and material for this historical-biographical work. From Stamford in Northern Texas to Galveston in the South, no Swedish home has intentionally been bypassed. The completeness of this work has been made possible only through the support of the pastors and leading men of the different Swedish congregations. The publisher expresses his gratitude to these individuals, to the tireless staff, to the printing firm E. L. Steck, which has done the printing with such merit, and to the Swedish public, without whose help it would have been impossible to publish such thick volumes of “The Swedes in Texas in Words and Pictures”.

Sincerely,

The Publisher

CONTENTS Page

The History of Texas, Carl Fromen................................................ 1

The Physical Geography of Texas, J.J. Hamilton......................... 15

Location............................................................................ 15

Area .................................................................................. 15

Borders.............................................................................. 15

Coastline........................................................................... 16

Topography....................................................................... 17

Sea level............................................................................ 17

Drainage............................................................................ 17

Lakes...................................................:............................. 19

Mountain Areas................................................................ 19

Climate Conditions........................................................... 19

Soil Conditions................................................................. 20

Forest................................................................................ 21

Industry in the State...................................................................... 22

Communication and Transport..................................................... 31

Form of Government.................................................................... 33

Political Division.......................................................................... 37

Texas School System, F.L. Hagberg ............................................ 39

Immigration to the United States and the foundation of

Swedish Churches, Alf. L. Scott................................................ 44

Swedish Churches in Texas.......................................................... 46

The Lutheran Church........................................................ 46

The Methodist Church...................................................... 85

Camp Meetings............................................................... 109

The Epworth League ...................................................... 110

The Free Church..;.......................................................... 112

The Texas Scandinavian Free Mission Organization..... 124

The Mission Church ....................................................... 126

The Baptist Church......................................................... 128

Swedish Colleges........................................................................ 131

Texas Wesleyan College, T.J. Westerberg..................... 131

Trinity College, J.A. Stamline........................................

Societies...................................................................................... 142

The Pioneer Society, Aug. Anderson ............................. 142

Svea ................................................................................ 144

Gota ................................................................................ 145

The Southern Swedish Singing Society, J.M. Ojerholm 147

The Waco Hundredman Society, F.L. Hagberg ............. 149

The Swedish Immigration and Earlier Conditions, Severin....... 151

The First Swedes in Texas, J.A. Stamline .................................. 164

Texas-Swedish Communities and Biographies ..........................

The Austin Colony.......................................................... 182

The Palm Valley Colony ................................................ 299

The New Sweden Colony............................................... 371

The Brushy Colony......................................................... 444

The Georgetown Colony ................................................ 473

The Taylor Colony.......................................................... 515

The Hutto Colony........................................................... 562

The Decker Colony......................................................... 605

Ericsdale......................................................................... 638

The Ericsdale Colony ..................................................... 639

Jonah............................................................................... 698

The Jonah Colony........................................................... 699

Elroy ............................................................................... 708

The Elroy Colony ........................................................... 708

Kenedy............................................................................ 750

The Kenedy Colony........................................................ 751

Manor.............................................................................. 774

The Manor Colony.......................................................... 775

East Sweden.................................................................... 790

West Sweden .................................................................. 790

The Brady Colony .......................................................... 791

Melvin.............................................................................. 826

The Melvin Colony......................................................... 827

Forth Worth .................................................................... 849

The Forth Worth Colony ................................................ 849

El Campo...................................................................... 886

The El Campo Colony.................................................... 887

Dallas.............................................................................. 945

The Dallas Colony.......................................................... 945

Waco.............................................................................. 964

The Waco Colony........................................................... 965

Lund................................................................................ 991

Type................................................................................ 991

Kimbro.......................................................................... l043

The Kimbro Colony...................................................... 1043

Manda........................................................................... 1057

The Manda Colony....................................................... 1057

The Ganado Colony...................................................... 1081

Crosby........................................................................... 1095

The Crosby Colony....................................................... 1095

Elgin.............................................................................. 1109

Louise........................................................................... 1119

The Louise Colony....................................................... 1119

Galveston...................................................................... 1131

The Galveston Colony.................................................. 1131

Olivia............................................................................ 1146

The Olivia Colony ........................................................ 1146

The Temple Colony...................................................... 1160

Swedonia ...................................................................... 1162

The Swedonia Colony .................................................. 1162

Bishop........................................................................... 1165

The Bishop Colony....................................................... 1165

Swensondale................................................................. 1167

Lyford........................................................................... 1168

The Lyford Colony....................................................... 1168

San Antonio.................................................................. 1170

Houston......................................................................... 1172

Our Boys Under the Flag................................................ 1175-1209

TEXAS HISTORY

By Carl Fromen

The history of Texas starts with the white man. The few Indians (maybe twenty thousand), who lived spread over its wide land area, lacked all culture necessary for history. The coastal tribes stood on a very low level and lived off raw fish and shellfish. Those who lived further inland were hunters, and they say that when the immigrants gave them corn to sow, they ate it. Some, like the Tejas Indians after which the state has been named, and in whose area on the banks of the Neches River the first Christian church was built, lived in real houses and grew beans, corn and tobacco. The only trace of the Indians are names of places and the arrows of flint which more than one settler has found when he has plowed his field. Those who live in Texas now have come from other areas, and those who were here, have left the state or disappeared among the closely related Mexicans.

The French and Spanish competed over who would be the first to settle here. The Frenchman, La Salle, died during his third expedition to Texas in 1687 while looking for the Mississippi River, or rather, was killed by his accompanying men near the Trinity River, not far from present Navasota. His expedition perished because of illness, massacres by the Indians, and some of the survivors were spread out among Indian tribes. At the arrival of the Spanish, they found the skeletons of those who had died so sadly, and Fort St. Louis was in ruins. The French were more successful in Louisiana where they had earlier gained a foothold and started building a settlement. It was the rumor of the French expedition which hastened the Spanish in their attempts to colonize Texas.

They started the establishment of missions for missionary work among the Indians. The first church in Texas, “The Mission of San Francisco”, was built in 1690 around 25 miles northeast of the present city of Crocket, and just west of the Neches River. The three main reasons for the Spanish colonization were: (1) the orders of the Spanish king, (2) the fear that the French would conquer Texas and (3) the desire of the Catholic priests to conduct missionary work among the Indians. The first settlements were built in both the eastern and southeastern part of the state. Those which were started in East Texas were built to stop the French from settling in this country. One of these missions, Guadalupe, stood just where present Nacogdoches is situated. Those which were built in the southwestern part, around San Antonio, were larger and lasted longer. In addition to the communities, ruins of their most famous buildings (the so-called “Missions”) are still there in many places.

It is thought that the old ruin of a monastery, Alamo, in San Antonio, was part of the mission, San Antonio de Valero, which was built in 1718. These missions were half monastery, half fortification, which were partially responsible for the spreading and preserving of civilization. Around them the immigrants settled and under the supervision of the monks, the land was cultivated by more or less unwilling natives, who were neither interested in work nor Christianity, but appreciated the protection they received from the other wild tribes. The civilization of the Indians went slowly because even though many of the monks and priests honestly tried to work for the welfare of the Indians, their work was hindered by the rest of the white people. To a large part, these consisted of the worst Spain had left of the uneducated and lazy adventurers, who had crossed the ocean or come from Mexico with the hope that they would quickly gain honor and riches without any effort, but they were disappointed in their hopes. The Spanish remained the only “lords of the land” until the end of the 17th Century, when visitors started to arrive from the east. Slowly but surely, the Americans came conquering the wilderness. The first were adventurers and businessmen, or as they were usually called/Traders”, who were trying to trade goods with the Indians. However, this was strongly forbidden to all foreigners, but those who were successful spread the rumor to others of the riches and beauty of the land. More of them came, not only temporary visitors, but also those who were looking to settle and farm. One of these was Philip Nolan who in 1800 came to Texas with a small troop of men and settled near the present city of Waco. This expedition had a sad ending, however. As soon as the Spaniards found out that Nolan was in Texas they decided to capture him. Heading a hundred soldiers, Lieutenant Musquis found Nolan’s hut at dawn on March 21, 1801. He divided his troop into three divisions and approached with the intent to surround Nolan’s men. They were barely a hundred feet from the hut when Nolan, to the surprise of the Mexicans, came out and let them understand that if they came closer, they would have to be responsible for their own lives. When Nolan refused to surrender, they started to shoot at the hut, and in less than ten minutes, Nolan had died from a bullet through the head. His men continued the fight until around nine o’ clock, when they surrendered since they were out of ammunition, many of them were wounded, and their leader was dead. They were taken to Nacogdoches where they expected to be set free and returned to the United States, but instead they were held as prisoners for six years before they were sentenced. The sentence was that every fifth man should be hung. As there were only nine men left, the kindly disposed judge decided that only one should die. The remaining men were still kept imprisoned and moved from one fort to another until it is not known what happened to more than one of them. Ellis Bean escaped from imprisonment, and then had a varied history during the Mexican civil war as an officer, and after the war, he served as an officer at Nacogdoches for many years. He died in Mexico in 1846.

After the United States bought Louisiana from France in 1803, more and more

settlers arrived. Around 1813 some adventurers tried to drive both Spaniards and

Mexicans from Texas. This expedition is called the Gutierrez and Magee expedition,

and was undertaken eleven years after the death of Nolan. The one who headed the expedition was Lt. Augustus Magee, who had resigned from the U.S. Army, but the one who had actually planned the expedition was a Mexican, Bernardo Guiterrez. The reason they gave was that they intended to help Mexico in the ongoing Revolutionary War against Spain by first freeing Texas, and then helping Mexico. However, this was barely half the truth, because they wanted to conquer Texas for themselves. First they took Nacogdoches in August of 1812, and in April of 1813 even San Antonio fell into their hands. But the Mexicans soon received reinforcement. In August of the same year, in a battle by the Medina River, under the command of Col. Toledo, eight hundred and fifty Americans, six hundred Indians, and about fifteen hundred Mexicans met a Spanish division, but the former were led into an ambush and killed so that of the eight hundred and fifty Americans, less than one hundred returned to tell the story of their failed attempt. The last of these intruder-expeditions to Texas was the so-called Long’s Expedition led by Dr. James Long from Natches, Mississippi, in 1818. Many Americans thought that all of Texas belonged to the United States through the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, and were disappointed in the government’s negotiations at the Florida Treaty of 1819 through which the United States gave up all jurisdiction and ownership of Texas west of the Sabine River.

Dr. Long was one of these. He succeeded in gathering three hundred men with whom he marched to Nacogdoches, declared Texas independent from Spain, and set up a government of sorts. He was determined that Spain would not have Texas, even if the United States did not want it. But even Long failed, his men were dispersed by Spanish troops and were driven from the province. Long did not give up his attempt, and managed to mount another expedition with which he conquered Goliad and enjoyed temporary success. However, he soon had to capitulate. He was taken prisoner and brought to Mexico where he was soon freed. But not long thereafter he was killed by a Mexican soldier. These three expeditions, with the purpose to free Texas from Spain, had failed, but even so, they had served an important purpose, that is, to acquaint Americans with Texas.

At this time, or in 1821, when Mexico had shed the Spanish harness, another era began, and they started to systematically plan an American colonization in Texas.

The man who was in charge of this effort was Moses Austin, who received

permission from the Mexican government, to move to Texas with three hundred

families. Moses Austin arrived in San Antonio in November of 1820 after a long and

trying journey through the wilderness from Missouri. His first visit with the governor

was not successful, and he was ordered to immediately leave the province. On his

way from the governor, he unexpectedly met an old friend. Baron de Bastrop, from

the United States. Baron de Bastrop was a good friend of the governor, and with his

help Austin received another audience, with

the result that the governor, Martinez, recommended his colonization to the one in charge. General Arrendondo Montery.

Austin returned home but did not live to see his big plan realized. On his way home he was attacked by bandits and his followers deserted him. However, he did make it home and after a short time, he had the pleasure of hearing that his plan had been approved. It was not meant to be that the old man should have to endure the trials and tribulations that such an undertaking would bring. He died on June 10, 1821. His son, Stephen Austin, then only 28 years old, took over the project according to his father’s wishes. He immediately set out for San Antonio where he was received well by the governor as the legal representative of his father, and this is how the peaceful American settlement of the area began.

The first immigrants settled along the Brazos River. Every married man received four thousand, four hundred and twenty-eight acres of land from the government. In 1835, there were nearly thirty thousand Americans in Texas, a mixed population from many nations, of many professions and characters, but with the courage of the pioneer and the bravery of the hero in their veins.

It was obvious that the Americans would not let themselves be governed by Mexicans for long, and the Mexicans eventually started to realize this. While trying to keep the recently arrived Americans under their rule, they gave them one reason after the other to be first disappointed and then rebellious. Inexperienced and incompetent at governing themselves, the Mexicans were even worse at governing others. The two races were so different that under the circumstances that existed, they could not live peacefully together for long. The white people looked down on the Mexicans as a lower race. They were different in religious beliefs and thinking. Their ways of life were different, and both groups considered their language the best and they did not want to change it under any circumstances. As they lived in the same communities, disagreements often arose between them, and both appealed to the authorities. If they judged in favor of the Mexicans it was considered, and in most cases it probably was, a biased opinion by the authorities. This is how one of the colonists and an impresario, Hayden Edwards, got the authorities against him. He started a rebellion and declared Texas independent under the name “The Fredonia Republic”, but he did not have the support of the other colonists, and he and his followers had to flee over the border to the United States after six weeks, on January 31, 1827. But even though he had failed, the rebellion had its results. The suspicion and fear the Mexicans had that the Americans would take over increased more and more. Therefore they attempted to stem the flow of immigration to Texas, and placed troops of soldiers here and there in strategic places. These soldiers were often involved in fights with the Americans, who finally rebelled and chased them away until only a few remained.

When the Mexican General Santa Anna rebelled, the white settlers took his side and

hoped to win him over to their side by this action. He accepted their support, but was

determined to crush them at the first opportunity. Since dissatisfaction had arisen, for many reasons which we cannot enumerate here, the settlers called a meeting in San Felipe in April, 1833, to discuss what should be done, but could not agree. Some wanted to separate from Mexico, and others, with Stephen F. Austin as their leader, only wanted to separate Texas from Coauhila and wanted Texas to remain as a separate state within the Mexican republic. A suggested constitution was drawn up by General Sam Houston, who had recently come to the state, and it was accepted at the meeting. Stephen F. Austin was selected to travel to Mexico, even though he was not in total agreement with the decisions that were made, to present to President Santa Anna the wishes of the settlers. He was not successful in his mission, and during his return he was taken prisoner and returned to Mexico, where he was imprisoned for fifteen months. During this time, Santa Anna had started to send larger divisions of troops to Texas and commanded that the leaders should be arrested and sent to Mexico for punishment. The Texans were determined, however, not to let any of their men be taken to Mexico, and when Austin came back from his imprisonment, and expressed his opinion that the only solution to the problems was a complete separation from Mexico, people believed him, because he was known as a man of peace, and they all knew that if he had seen another way out than rebellion, he would have advocated it. It was from this moment that Stephen F. Austin became their leader. On September 19, 1835, a chain-letter was sent out and on his command, messengers were sent to all parts of Texas to gather weapons, ammunition, and men. Austin was elected commander-in-chief and in the first minor skirmishes, the Texans had the upper hand. One of the fiercest of these battles was the conquest of San Antonio led by Ben Milam with only three hundred volunteers. Meanwhile, the rumor was spreading that Santa Anna was approaching with an army of six thousand men and that he had threatened to drive the last of the Texans over the Sabine River. A new meeting of elected delegates convened in November in San Felipe and a temporary government was formed. Henry Smith was elected governor, James W. Robinson, lieutenant governor, as well as a man from each district to make up the Congress. Sam Houston was elected Commander-in-Chief of the Army, and Stephen F. Austin, William H. Wharton, and Branch T. Archer representatives to the United States to negotiate for assistance. Those in charge soon disagreed over who had the greatest power, which made another meeting necessary and one was called to take place on March 1, 1836, in Washington on the Brazos River. The governing body which had been elected at the first meeting was disbanded. Texas declared its independence and a new temporary government was formed with David G. Burnet as President, and Lorenzo de Zavala, vice president, with a cabinet of good advisors, among whom were Col. Thomas J. Rusk, Secretary of War. The newly elected government was to serve until a general election could be held.

Let us remain for a while at this point in time. We are in the era of patriots and

heroes. Even though the troops were small compared to those of the Twentieth

Century, brave men fought even then for home and

freedom, and no country has more wonderful memories of noble men who sacrificed all in the struggle against its country’s oppressors. When General Houston took command, the small troops were spread out all over Texas. Col. Fannin was stationed at Goliad with a force of four to five hundred men. Dr. James Grant had less than one hundred men at San Patricio, and Col. William B. Travis was at Alamo, San Antonio, with one hundred and fifty brave men, among whom were the veterans, James Bowie, and the famous Davy Crockett. The rumor that the Alamo had fallen came to the meeting in Washington on the Brazos. Col. Travis and all his men had been defeated by Santa Anna, who had taken the fort with around three thousand men, and wanted to fulfill his threat to drive each and everyone of them and their people from Texas. The rumor was true.

The Battle of Alamo has no equal in world history. Col. Travis arrived in San Antonio and took command of the fort in Alamo at the beginning of February, 1836.

He immediately realized that it was impossible to defend it with only one hundred

fifty men against

The Battle of Alamo

Santa Anna’s approaching forces. Therefore, Travis wrote again and again to

Governor Smith for help, but he had none to send. A small troop of thirty-two men

from Gonzales made their way past the enemy and came to their aid on March 1. On

March 3, Travis wrote “a blood-red flag waves over Bexar’ s church and in the enemy

camp as a sign that this is a war of revenge against the rebels, but their threats don’t

scare me or my men. We are determined to die defending our country’s freedom and

our own honor.” On the following day, Santa Anna held a war council, and a decision

was made to storm the fort. Early at dawn on Sunday morning, March 6, orders went

out to begin the attack. At first they approached quietly but soon the trumpets

sounded, “No Pardon”, and the attack began. The fort was surrounded by an outer

wall, from which the Texans first

directed the defense. But the line of defense was too long for the few Texans to defend and guard, so the Mexicans stormed the wall and the Texans in small groups now started a deadly fight with their hated enemy. No pardon was asked and none given. Travis and Crockett were fighting as ten men, and Bowie, although confined to his bed, sold his life dearly. The Mexican forces were too powerful, and in less than an hour every defender of the Alamo lay dead. Then the Mexicans piled the fallen Travis and his soldiers into a heap and burned their bodies, but the ashes of these heroes were later collected by the Texans and buried with honors. “Thermopylae had her messenger of defeat, but the Alamo had none.”

Three weeks after the fall of the Alamo, the bloodbath at Goliad followed. Col. Fannin was forced to surrender there with a force of around four hundred men, surrounded by over two thousand Mexicans, after a brave but hopeless fight. A few days later they marched out in small groups, and in spite of all promises, laws, and rules of war, they were shot on Santa Anna’s orders.

President Houston’s Residence 1837-1838 in Houston, Texas

But the day of revenge drew near. When General Houston received the message

about all these sad defeats and about the great forces of Santa Anna, he decided to

retreat, especially as he knew that his forces were too weak to attack or withstand such

force. During the retreat, he stopped where it was suitable to train his troops. The road

was filled with men, women, and children who had left their homes and all they owned

to flee from the enemy. Santa Anna’s victory at the Alamo had made him overconfident,

and when he heard about another victory over Fannin, and the retreat of General

Houston, he thought there was not much more to do but to take Texas. Therefore he

hurriedly left San Antonio

for San Felipe, where he arrived on April 7. The city already lay in ashes, so he

hurriedly marched to Harrisburg, where he intended to take President Burnet and his

cabinet as prisoners. However, the government had been warned and fled to

Galveston only a few hours before the arrival of Santa Anna. Upset that his “prey”

had escaped, he burned the city and marched along Buffalo Bayou and the San

Jacinto River to New Washington. Santa Anna was far from his main army, and this

was the opportunity that General Houston had been waiting for. At a quick march,

he set out after Santa Anna, and on April 20, the two armies met in the area of Buffalo

Bayou and the San Jacinto River. The battle did not start

GENERAL SAM HOUSTON

The First President of the Texas Republic

until the next day at three in the afternoon. Meanwhile, Santa Anna had received reinforcements, so his force was now around thirteen hundred men, while Houston’s was only eight hundred. The Texans were anxious for revenge, and when General Houston gave orders to attack, it was greeted by unanimous approval. Silently they marched forward until they were so close that the Mexicans could hear them when they raised the war-cry, “Remember the Alamo”, “Remember the Goliad”. At a “running march” they attacked the surprised Mexicans to whom the attack was totally unexpected. Santa Anna and many of his men were asleep, some were cooking their dinner, while others were watering their horses, and before they had time to reach for their weapons, the Texans had attacked them. They made a vain attempt to resist but failed, and soon the whole Mexican army had scattered in wild flight, pursued by the Texans.

According to General Houston’s own report it was a fierce but short battle, which lasted, at most, eighteen minutes. But they continued to pursue the enemy until dusk. It was a remarkable battle. Fannin and Travis were avenged because the Mexicans lost six hundred dead, and seven hundred and thirty were taken prisoners. Of those, two hundred were wounded. The Texans had only lost two soldiers, and twenty three were wounded, but of those, two later died from their wounds. General Houston himself got shot in the ankle. This remarkable battle took place on April 21, 1836, and was called the Battle of San Jacinto.

Santa Anna managed to escape, but was taken prisoner the following day. It was his disguise that saved him, because he was so hated that if the soldiers had known who he was, instant death would have been his lot.

General Houston and Santa Anna immediately drew up a peace treaty which was signed on May 14, by President Burnet and General Santa Anna, and was called the ‘Treaty of Velasco”. The conditions of peace were (1) that hostilities

The Texas Republic’s First Capitol in Columbia, Texas, 1836

should immediately cease, and the entire Mexican army should retreat as soon as possible across the Rio Grande River, (2) that Mexico should compensate or pay for all private property that had taken from the Texans, (3) that Santa Anna should be freed with the right to return to Mexico, where he promised to use his influence to get the Mexican government to recognize Texas’ independence from that nation. According to the above-mentioned peace treaty. General Filisola, the successor of Santa Anna, led the Mexican Army out of Texas, General Houston went to New Orleans to receive medical care for his wounds received at San Jacinto, and General Rusk took command of the army. A new era had begun; Texas had driven its hated enemy across the border,and messengers were sent in all directions to spread the good news to the refugees who jubilantly returned to their homes.

The Texas revolutionary history would hardly be complete if nothing was mentioned about the aid which was sent from the United States. Stephen Austin, William H. Wharton, and Dr. Archer had been sent to request aid, and in this matter they met with much sympathy. Large sums of money was loaned and donated, as well as food, clothing, and ammunition, and hundreds of men enlisted as volunteers in the Texas army and gave their lives for the freedom of Texas. Without this generous help from the United States, it is doubtful that the revolution would have been successful. In the Fall, on the first Monday in September, 1836, there was an election when people were asked to vote on three important issues: (1) The constitution of the new republic, (2) President and Vice President and members of Congress and (3) The question whether Texas should remain an independent republic or join the United States if the United States would allow it. The constitution was adopted and General Sam Houston was elected the first President of the Republic, and as the answer to the third question, the people expressed their wish to join the United States. General Sam Houston was one of Texas’ most intelligent and brilliant men. He was born in Virginia in 1793, and died in Huntsville, Texas, in 1863. Twice he was elected President of the Republic, first from 1836 to 1838, and then again from 1841 to 1844. From 1846 to 1859, he represented the state of Texas in the United States Senate, and from this time to 1861, he was Governor of the State of Texas. Big difficulties met the new republic in all areas. They still did not feel secure from Mexico, which refused to recognize Texas as a Republic, and the Indians were also hard to please. Another danger was the sudden immigration from the United States by men unfamiliar with conditions in the South, and because of this, they were the cause of fights and trouble instead of being of help. President Houston developed peaceful politics and wisely avoided problems. To counter the financial difficulties from which Texas suffered after the war, he prescribed a strict economy. During its ten years as a republic, Texas had, except for Sam Houston, two other presidents, Mirabeau B. Lamar from 1838-1841, and Dr. Anson Jones from 1844-1846, and when Texas joined the United States the same year, he transferred the power of ruling the state to J. Pinkney Henderson, who became the first governor of the new state.

President Lamar was, in contrast to Houston, more contentious in his politics and therefore battled with both Mexico and the Indians. Lamar was of the opinion that the Indians were a hindrance to immigration and that people feared coming to Texas because of them. The most feared were the Cherokees in the vicinity of Nacogdoches. Fearing that they would ally themselves with the Mexicans, President Lamar decided to drive them out of Texas. He was willing to pay them for their land and homes, but when they refused to sell, they were driven out of Texas in 1839. At the beginning of the war with Mexico in 1835, there were from 12-15000 Indians in Texas divided into different tribes.

Despite the unsettled conditions, the animosity of the Indians, and the threats of the Mexicans, the immigration increased, and between the 1836-1846, several thousand families came. Many came from Germany, some from England, but the majority came from the United States. In 1846 there were in Texas 102,961 whites, 38,753 slaves, and 295 freed slaves.

As we’ve already mentioned, Mexico had never recognized the peace-treaty of Velasco in May, 1836, and declared that Santa Anna as prisoner did not have the authority to sign the treaty, and they had not given up the idea to send an army to Texas at the first opportune moment to discipline the rebels. Therefore, when President Lamar

Ruins of President Houston’s Residence in Washington on the Brazos, Texas, 1842-44

did not take measures to stop the Texans from helping supply manpower to the Liberal Party in Mexico, which was then fighting against the government with the purpose of establishing a republic in Northern Mexico, and caused further trouble with the Santa Fe expedition in 1841, a Mexican army was sent to Texas, which occupied San Antonio, and simultaneously, in 1842, both Goliad and Refugio. However, the Mexicans left as quickly as they had arrived. San Antonio was occupied a second time in September by a Mexican force. This time they resisted, and the Mexicans retreated with sixty-seven prisoners whom they took with them to Mexico. The Texans were now angered, and over a thousand men in San Antonio were ready to march over the border into Mexico. Houston, who was now President, was against becoming involved in another war with Mexico and did not encourage the venture which had a sad outcome.

Several smaller expeditions were sent out and the animosity between Texas and

Mexico continued, much blood was spilled, and many had to suffer imprisonment in Mexico before Texas joined the United States.

Texas requested to join the United States in 1836, but even though this country had accepted Texas as a republic the same year, it was not immediately ready to accept Texas as a state in the union for two important reasons: (1) The United States knew that Mexico would declare war as soon as Texas was made one of its states, (2) Texas was also a slave state, and there were many in the United States who were working against a union because of this. This angered the Texans so much that they withdrew their request in 1838.

In the following years however, the United States learned the value of Texas, and in addition, the rumor was spread that England wanted Texas, and they started to say that the United States had to accept it to prevent England from being given a chance to acquire it. The slave question was still disturbing, and the United States Congress did not let Texas join the Union until 1845.

At the time of union, Texas was allowed to keep public land which in other states belonged to the government. The state sold a part of this to the United States a couple of years later for ten million dollars, and this sum was used to pay the debt from the days of the Republic. Three million acres of this land was used to pay for a colossal state capitol building which was built of granite. Much of this land has also been given to the railroads to encourage railroad construction. The entrance of Texas into the union did as feared cause war between the United States and Mexico. This war which started in 1846 continued barely two years, and peace was declared in February of 1848, and was called the “Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo”, as it was signed in this city only a few miles from the Mexican capital. In this treaty, Mexico gave up all ownership and governing power over Texas, and accepted the Rio Grande as the border between Texas and Mexico. It also relinquished to the United States for a sum of fifteen million dollars, the vast land area which is now California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, part of New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming. As the result of this treaty, which was the indirect result of Texas entering the Union, the history of these small Texas colonies which were established by Austin and his men has become of greater importance. Texas now had peace and the opportunity to develop its resources. But it was still in great debt. The United States gave an additional three million dollars in 1855 as payment for the expenses Texas had had because of the problems with the Indians and to create more peaceful conditions and encourage immigration, the rest of the Indians were moved from Texas to Oklahoma.

In spite of the stormy times, immigration had continued in such numbers that the

population in 1860 had grown to 421,411 whites with 180,682 slaves, and 339 freed

slaves, all in all 602,432. Farming and

cattle raising were the principal sources of livelihood. In the river valleys there were large cotton plantations, worked by black slaves, and out in the wild plains, large herds of cattle were grazing.

In 1852, the building of the first railroad to Harrisburg was begun with twenty miles built in August the following year, 1853. To encourage the building of railroads, the legislature passed a law which promised more than ten thousand acres of land for every mile of railroad built. Laws for the founding of the state’s public schools were passed in 1853 at the suggestion of Governor E.M. Pease. Times of unrest were approaching and they did not have a long period of time to devote to peaceful development. The reason for this was mainly the slave-question, and then the Civil War broke out in 1861. Among the states which were in favor of slavery and seceded from the Union were South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas. They formed their own republic with a government similar to that of the United States with Jefferson Davis from Mississippi as President. The new republic took the name of the Confederate States of America. Sam Houston was governor of Texas at this time and used his influence to convince Texas to remain in the Union. However, they no longer listened to the formerly-loved leader and veteran, and when he refused to pledge allegiance to the new republic, he was removed from office and Edward Clark. Lieutenant Governor, was installed in his place. Houston died two years later in his home in Huntsville.

Texas was very little affected by the horrors of war. Only two or three attempts were made by the army of the North to enter Texas which were unsuccessful. Texas could correctly be called the warehouse of the Southern States army during the war. When the other southern states were prevented from all trade by the United States Navy which blockaded their coasts, Texas carried on in their substantial trade with Mexico.

Goods bought in Mexico were immediately shipped to the Southern States army. Industry within the state also benefitted to a large degree. Factories were built for the manufacture of cloth, hats, shoes, blankets, tents and other necessities; the state prison in Huntsville was converted into a factory where large quantities of war materials were made for the Texas soldiers or sold to the confederate government. Texas was therefore considered to be in better shape at the end of the war than any other of the southern states.

Home life, however, was one of hardship and self denial. Many things which we now consider necessities were then luxury items. Printed calico was then worth $50.00 per yard (Southern States money). Coffee could not be bought at any price, because it was not available. Instead of coffee-beans, they used roasted sweet potatoes, rye, okra-beans, etc., and instead of soda, they burned corncobs and used the ashes. In almost every home one member of the family was missing because the father or son had been called to serve in the army.

After four years, this sad war ended, on April 9,1865, when the

great southern general, Robert E. Lee, had to surrender to an army more than three times the size of his own at Appomattox, Virginia. With the end of the war came the era of reconstruction with its great problems, which if they had been left to be solved by the population of the south who understood them, would not have been difficult to solve. Those in power in the North made the same mistake as they had done in the other southern states. They put the governing power in the hands of the military, often uneducated Negroes, who could neither read nor write, and carpetbaggers from the North, who were lacking in both insight and experience regarding the people and conditions of the South. The war itself did not produce as bitter feelings towards the North as the Reconstruction Era did. Texas’ place as one of the states was restored in 1870, but it did not get a governor, Richard Coke, until 1874, and he was elected by a popular majority. Texas was again not just a state, but its government was in the hands of its own people. However, one thing remained - it must have a new constitution - the old one reminded them too much of the bitter Reconstruction era, and therefore a new constitution was written in 1875, and it was ratified in a popular election in 1876.

A time of flourishing and development now commenced. Railroads were built, new cities appeared, and old ones grew. Lawlessness which was widespread after the war, was suppressed. In 1881, when Roberts was governor, the old state house in Austin burned down. The legislature was called for an extra session and it decided to have a new building erected for which the cornerstone was laid on “Texas Independence Day”, in 1885, and it was completed in May of 1888. This building, which was made of red granite, is next in size to the capitol in Washington. The inhabitants of Texas were only eight hundred thousand in 1870, compared to 1910, when it was slightly less than four million. Of all the states in the Union, only New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Ohio have more inhabitants and with the ongoing immigration to the state Texas, it should within a few years, have surpassed even these states in population.

The peaceful development has made rapid advances. Politically, the Democrats have always had the majority even if they have been divided among themselves, which has served the same purpose as if the powers had been divided among two parties. At one time the debate was about control of the railroads within the state, and it ended with the formation of the so-called Railroad Commission, with the power to investigate complaints and decide freight and passenger fees. Later Prohibition has been the foremost political question. Time after time, it has been defeated until 1918, when a law was passed, which on June 25 of the same year, closed all bars in the state. Texas is called ‘The Lone-Star State” (Den Ensamma Stjarnans Stat). This star is hardly seen among so many thousand others in the sky of history, but it shines clearly, and the person who has once gotten to know it loves to stay in its radiance.

TEXAS PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

J.J. Hamilton

Location

Texas can, with reason, be counted among the southern states, because next to Florida, it is the southernmost state of the Union. But Texas could also be counted among the central states because its location is about halfway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific, measuring from east to west. Its capital, Austin, is situated upon basically the same latitude, or as far south as Cairo in Egypt. There is the same distance to the polar circle in the north as to the equator in the south, which makes Texas in the heart of the northern mixed-belt.

Area

The acreage of Texas is the largest among the United States of America. It has 265,780 square miles. Of these, 262,290 square miles are land, and only 3,490 square miles are covered by water. Within the state there are 167,865,600 acres of land, or enough to supply every person in the United States with over 1.5 acres each. From north to south there is a distance of 750 miles, and from east to west there is a distance of over 790 miles. The length of the state from north to south is about half the length of the United States in the same direction, and its width from east to west is about a third of the entire country. Texas is 242 times as large as the state of Rhode Island, 30 times as large as the state of Massachusetts, and nearly 6 times the size of the state of New York. The German Empire could be placed within the area of Texas, and a fourth of the state would still not be covered, and Great Britian and Ireland could be placed within half of Texas. Sweden would occupy three-fourths of the state. If Texas was as densely populated as the state of Rhode Island, there would be 90 million people within its borders. Someone has figured out that if every person who has ever lived on this earth returned all at once, we would be able to offer them nearly two square feet of land in Texas.

Borders

Texas borders the state of Louisiana to the east where the border towards the north

is the Sabine River up to the 32nd parallel. From here the border continues northward

at the 94th meridian along Louisiana and Arkansas to the Red River. Westward from

here

the border along Arkansas and Oklahoma is the Red River to the 100th longitude. Here the border turns northward along this longitude on the edge of Oklahoma approximately to the 36th latitude and the border to Oklahoma, turns westward to the 103rd meridian. From here the border runs along this longitude to the south along New Mexico to the 32nd latitude, after which the border continues west along New Mexico to the Rio Grande River. Along this river, which is the border toward Mexico, the borderline continues in a southeasterly direction to the Gulf of Mexico, which in a northeasterly direction stretches along the Texas coast for nearly 500 miles.

The Coastline

Texas has what we can call a slowly sloping coastline. Along all of the coast of both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic, the ocean floor is even, and it barely slopes outward. The ocean is therefore very shallow for quite some distance and a slight raising of the ocean floor would cause it to rise above sea level. This is what has actually happened on the Texas Coast. After the ocean floor has risen, it has again lowered so that the ocean has been able to penetrate here and there in the dells, and a series of bays have been formed along the coast, such as Galveston Bay, Matagorda Bay, Esperitu Santo Bay, and Corpus Christ! Bay. These bays, originally not very deep, are constantly being filled with material carried there by the river and by ocean waves and streams. As a result of this, the ports are not very good, except at Galveston. There they have built long stone walls and wave-breakers, so-called “Rock Jetties”, which reach out into the ocean for miles, and therefore they have managed to keep a harbor of 30 feet constantly open, and can receive the deepest and heaviest loaded ships. Because of these port facilities and the excellent location, Galveston is the second city in the nation in regards to shipping.

Another peculiarity which we meet on the Texas coast are the many sandy islands

which probably more deserve the name sandy reefs. These stretch along the entire

coast. The larger waves of the ocean cannot reach the coast, but break where the

water is deeper, sometimes miles out in the ocean. Where this happens the ocean sand

is thrown up into reefs, and as one wave follows the other with its load of sand, the

size and height of the reef increases until it rises above the surface of the water and

creates an island. What the ocean water has started, the wind completes as it

continues to pile up the continuously gathering sand. The islands, which are created

in this way, are usually much longer than they are wide, and run parallel with the

coast, and behind them there is usually an area of calm water. The most important

islands which have been formed in this way are Galveston Island or as it is also called,

“Treasure Island”, Matagorda Island,

St. Joseph Island, and Padre Island, the later 100 miles long and in its own way, the most unusual in the world.

Topography

It is obvious that in a state as large as Texas there must exist a lot of variety regarding the topography, but you can say that mainly Texas is one slightly sloping plateau, gradually lowering towards the southeast, or the Gulf of Mexico. This enormous plain can be divided into three parts: first, the lowlands, or the coastal plains, consisting of rich grazing areas, which gradually have been cultivated and consist of the part of the state which lies along the Gulf of Mexico. Then there is the prairie, which is largely covered with small trees and bushes, slightly hilly and particularly fertile, and this is in the middle part of the state. The third part consists of the mountains in the southwest, which is divided by the Apache Mountains and an extension of the Guadalupe mountain chain, and some separate groups of mountains. The highlands north of these mountains also belong to this area and it is known as El Llano Estacado, or the Staked Plains. Here nothing grows but grass. It is an area totally bare of trees, located 4000 feet above sea level. This area is so flat that if you go out in this enormous area it seems as if you are standing in a big pot where the sides are slightly sloping upward, meeting the canopy of the sky at the horizon around you.

Level above the Sea

Even though the largest part of the state is lower than 1000 feet over sea level, the medium level above the sea is 1700 feet. The most fertile part of the state and the one which is most densely populated, is the one located from 500 to 700 feet above sea level. The highest mountain is Guadalupe Peak, which rises 9000 feet over ocean level.

Drainage

The Texas drainage system consists of all in all forty-four rivers of more or less importance. Most of them run in a southeasterly direction and empty into the Gulf of Mexico. Two of them, the Red River and the Canadian River, are tributaries of the Mississippi River. Commercially, the rivers in Texas are of slight importance.

During a large part of the year the rainfall west of the Brazos is negligable, and the

rivers which are situated there shrink into little creeks, and during times of drought

they are hardly more than a series of puddles. These rivers have clear water however,

and during times of heavy rainfall, they swell and overflow their bed and become

very rapid. The water in the more important rivers seems

murky and has a reddish brown color, which is caused by the leeching out of the soil in the areas where it flows through. The most important of the rivers which originate inside the state is the Brazos River. It is the drainage canal for an area of 59,000 square miles or an area as big as the State of Georgia. Its source is located in Lamb County, just below “The Staked Plains,” and it empties into the Gulf of Mexico. It is navigable to shallow-draught ships up to Columbia, a distance of 40 miles, and they are working on making it navigable all the way up to Waco. The complete length of the river is 950 miles. Second in importance is the Red River, which has its source in “The Llano Estacado” at a height of 2,500 miles above sea level. Along a large part of its length, it makes up the border between Oklahoma and Texas and Arkansas and Texas, and then it runs through Arkansas and Louisiana and empties into the Mississippi River. It is navigable up to Shreveport, Louisiana, and at times, shallow draught ships venture up as far as Jefferson, Texas. It has a drainage area within Texas of 29,000 square miles. The Colorado River has its source near that of the Brazos, and empties into Matagorda Bay. It is known for the scenic beauty along its shores. Austin, the capital of Texas, has a beautiful location along this river, 200 miles from its mouth. The most important tributaries are the Concho, The Llano, and the San Saba Rivers.

It is the drainage canal for an area of 900 square miles, or an area equal to the State

of Tennessee. The Trinity River flows in a southeasterly direction from “The Grand

Prairie,” almost parallel with the Brazos River, and it empties into the Gulf of Mexico

about 40 miles from Galveston. The cities of Fort Worth and Dallas are located by

the Trinity River, and the United States government is considering plans to make this

river navigable all the way up to Dallas. The Sabine River, which makes up the border

in the east to Louisiana, is 500 miles long and has a drainage area in Texas of 17,000

square miles. It was named after the trees which are so plentiful in this area, the

Cypress, which in Mexican are called “Sabinas”. The Rio Grande has its source in

the Rocky Mountains in the southwestern part of Colorado, and it flows in a

southeasterly direction for a distance of close to 1,800 miles after which it empties

into the Gulf of Mexico. It has only one tributary, the Pecos River. From El Paso to

the Gulf of Mexico, it makes up the border between Texas and Mexico. In its upper

portion the flow is plentiful but it is used a large part for irrigation, and what is not

used for this purpose, disappears by seeping through the riverbed which in the upper

portion to a large part consists of sand. Just below El Paso, the riverbed is scarcely

more than a sandy area with a slight indentation and sometimes it is totally dried out,

or with stagnant water in hollows here and there. At other times, when rainfall is

plentiful, the river overflows and floods a large area of the surrounding land and

causes a lot of destruction. Further down towards the mouth of the river, it gets deeper

and the water

more plentiful and at times it is navigable to smaller ships for a few miles.

Lakes

Only about one-eightieth of Texas is covered by water. There are a number of small lakes with both salt and fresh water, but there are no lakes of any importance. The most important are Lake Wichita in Wichita County in the north. Grand Lake in Colorado County, and Clear Lake in Harris County in the southeastern part of the state, some saltwater lakes in Hidalgo and Cameron counties in the southern part of the state, and between the Diablo and Guadalupe Mountains in the west, as well as by “Llano Estacado” and the Sabine Lake by the border to Louisiana.

Mountain Areas

We have mentioned before that Texas is mainly one giant plain, sloping towards the ocean in the southeast. In the northwestern part of the state there are rock formations which even though they do not deserve to be called mountains are still more than hills or slopes. And in the southwestern part, the part which lies west of the Pecos River, we can really find mountain chains as well as single mountains. “The Callahan Divide” is the name of a group of enormous hills in the northwestern part of the state, including Coleman, Comanche, Brown, Eastland, Callahan, Mitchell, Taylor and Runnells counties. Here the area takes on the look of highlands and rises from a height of 700 feet in the eastern part to 2,500 feet in the west. The formation of the surface is very varied, depending on the disintegration, decomposition and leeching out of different materials and constituents which has been created by the influence of air and water. A number of hills or mountains in miniature looking like enormous inverted pots or pans, are spread out over this highland giving it the impression of huge quays placed close together. West of the Pecos River in the part of Texas which juts out with El Paso as its furthest point and lies between New Mexico and Mexico, we find four different branches of the Rocky Mountains reaching into Texas from New Mexico. These branches do not take the form of closely connected mountains or a continuous chain, but give the impression of separate mountains which rise from the plains without any visible connection between them and are, therefore, included in the type of mountains which are called “Lost Mountains.” These mountains and groups of mountains are from west to east: the Franklin Mountains; Hueco, Quitman and Eagle Mountain, the Comanche, Wind and Diablo Mountains; the Guadalupe, Davis and Santiago Mountains. The highest peaks in Texas are: Guadalupe Peak, which is 9,000 feet, Livermore Peak, which is 8,500 feet, and Mt. Emory, which is 8,500 feet.

Climate Conditions

In general, Texas offers three types of climate: what we could

call low, humid and cold, what we could label low, humid and warm, and what could be classified as high and dry. In the northeast we find the first type, on the coast, the second, and in the western part, the third. The average temperature in the coastal area is 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and in the far northwest, the average temperature is 56 degrees. The hot season lasts from May through October. During this time the heat is fairly severe, and the thermometer often shows 110 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat is seldom oppressive because the air is fresh and clear and the cooling winds from the Gulf of Mexico makes even the hottest day bearable, at least if you seek the shade. Things like sunstroke or overheating are hardly known, or are at least very rare. The nights are particularly pleasant because of the Gulf winds, which are strongest at that time. In the southern and middle parts of the state there is no winter to speak of, but it can sometimes get fairly cold, and it feels much worse because it happens seldom and when it does, it comes very quickly in connection with a strong northern wind. When these northerly winds occasionally sweep down, the temperature can drop by many tens of degrees. The “Northers” are usually preceded by a few hours of unusual heat caused by the approaching wind, which forces the air to the south and causes it to becomes hot and heavy. “Northers” usually do not last for more than three days and arrive quite unexpectedly and with irregular intervals. Sometimes it can happen that a new “Norther” can follow immediately after a preceding one and prolongs the cold-spell in this way. Sometimes these northern winds are mixed with rain, snow, or even sleet and are then called “Wet Northers”. In some parts of the state, the temperature can fall as low as 0 degrees Fahrenheit, and it has happened even in the southern and central parts of the state that the mercury has fallen as low as to 4 degrees above zero. These are exceptions, however. The climate can all in all be said to be fairly healthy, and regarding the winters, southern Texas has milder and more pleasant ones than any other state in the Union.

Soil Conditions

Texas offers a rich variety of different kinds of particularly fertile soil. The variety

of good soil means that there is hardly any type of crop of the more common ones

which cannot be grown in some parts of the state. It is not common to add fertilizer,

and in most cases it is not necessary. Thousands of acres have been cultivated for

sixty years or more and give as good a harvest today as it ever did. The richest soil

is the waxy black loam, which is mostly found in central Texas. This soil is most

suitable for growing different kinds of grain and above all, cotton. This black waxy

soil has gotten its name because of its color and adherent nature. It is from one to

several feet deep. The

second richest is the black sandy soil, which can be found in the southern part of the state and on the coast. This soil is easier to cultivate than the former and is particularly suitable for growing rice and sugarcane. Fruit and vegetables also grow well in this soil. The black sandy, the red sandy, and the gray sandy soils which are to be found in eastern Texas, have long been known as particularly suitable for growing fruit. In the river valleys, particularly those of the Brazos, Colorado, Red River and Trinity Rivers, there are deposits of soil, and these vary, depending on the soil in the areas the rivers flow through. These river valleys receive constant deposits of soil when the rivers overflow. Deposits of a depth of an entire inch have occurred at one single flooding of the river. In some areas, it is said that the soil which has been created in this way over the centuries is as deep as fifty feet. The Brazos riverbeds are said to have the richest soil of this kind. It is darker and more waxy, while the soil west of the Brazos is more sandy because of the sandy area where the river flows in its upper course. In the northern part of the state, the soil of these river valleys is particularly suitable for growing corn, but in the south it is more favorable for cotton, rice and sugarcane which gives excellent yields.

Forest

The lumber industry is one of the sources for the riches and wealth of Texas. It is true that Texas does not have much to offer of hardwoods which are used for lumber.

Still, an area of 64,000 square miles is covered by forest, a larger area than in any other

State in the Union. The types of wood which are available in large amounts are pine

and cypress. The true forest areas are limited to the eastern parts of the state, and the

types of wood which are available are two types of pine, i.e., with long or short

needles. The long-needled pine is found in the east from Harris County in the north

and down towards the Gulf of Mexico, to within around twenty miles from the coast

where it stops growing. Around 25,000,000 acres of land is covered by this type of

pine. From here building material is shipped to all parts of Texas as well as

Oklahoma, a part of Kansas, and other states in the west. The short-needled pine

takes over in the north from Harris County along the border-areas, and further up it

is mixed with other types of wood, such as walnut, maple, ash and poplar. Pecan trees

grow in large numbers in the river valleys and along the riverbanks. The pecan nuts

are very tasty. The lumber is used mostly for tools like handles for shovels, pickaxes,

and similar things. Additionally, we find, particularly on the black soil prairies,

woods such as elm, oak, and live oak among others, which obviously do not grow

well, but have taken on a dwarf type of growing, except maybe the live oak, which

is better acclimatized than some of the other trees. Among the trees which are most

suitable as shade trees, hackberry

is the foremost. It also grows wild on the black-land prairies. All of the latter types of wood have no significant value as lumber, but are mainly used as firewood and other less important uses where hardwoods are not needed.

INDUSTRY IN THE STATE

General Overview. The general idea of those who have been lacking in closer knowledge of the true conditions in Texas, has largely been that the state is mainly one giant pasture, and that the most important, yes almost the only industry, is cattle ranching. This is totally erroneous, because among all sources of livelihood, farming comes first, then ranching, and in addition there is important industry and

Rice-thrashing in El Campo, Texas

substantial mining within the state. Texas is not only the promised land of the cowboys, but also that of the industrialist, farmer, craftsman, and miner. We have to admit that some of these fields are in their infancy, but great opportunities lie ahead for them as well.

Farming. Texas’ foremost resource is its rich soil, and thus the most important

industry is farming. The riches of the state lies mainly in the enormous and

inexhaustible production of the rich soil. There are already over half a million farms,

worth about two and a half billion dollars. According to an official report in 1910,

the income from farming within the state reached $650,000,000 yearly. This is a sum

equivalent to $160.00 for each person, man, woman, or child within the state. Only

within a part of the state, the one which

lies east of the 100th parallel, is the rainfall sufficient to bring in a harvest using

conventional means of cultivation. West of this meridian, they must use irrigation, or

so-called dry farming. Water for irrigation is created in two ways, either by damming

up the rivers, or by digging wells. By using the former method, they have managed

to create a system of irrigation in the Rio Grande area, which is among the best of its

kind in the United States. The Medina Dam just below San Antonio, which has been

created by damming the Medina River, will supply an area of 150,000 acres of land

with water for irrigation. Up in the Panhandle, in and around Hereford, Plainview,

Tulia and other

Weighing and transporting of cotton to a gin

places, they use the latter method to drill wells to supply water for watering the fields. When growing rice, they are totally dependent on irrigation and for this purpose, they use water from rivers, brooks, and wells. Another way to produce a harvest where rainfall is not sufficient using conventional methods, is by so-called “dry farming.”

The basic principle for this kind of farming is to preserve the moisture which exists

and not let it evaporate in areas where the rainfall is sufficient, but does not come at

the right time. To achieve this they use suitable methods; deep plowing and constant

turning of the soil to keep the surface loose and crumbly, and therefore prevent

moisture from reaching the surface and evaporating. Through this method, large areas

of land in west central Texas

and up in the Panhandle area which would otherwise be almost useless, have been

able to give ample harvests. Experienced leaders in agriculture are encouraging the

use of this method in even more areas and advise its use even in areas where the

precipitation is sufficient. Another difficulty which meets the farmer is in the form

of too much water

Field of sugareane in southern Texas

Corn cobs from the Black-loam belt

in the areas where the water remains on the ground after continuous rain, because of insufficient drainage. Large areas of land were considered useless or at least useless for anything but grazing until they were given proper drainage, and have now become the most productive fields in the state. They are now most suited for fruit and vegetable farming. We have mentioned before the excellent soil in the river valleys.

In spite of the value of these areas, they have been left uncultivated at least near the

mouth of the rivers closest to the ocean since the rivers now and again have

overflowed and

washed away all that has been planted. Nowadays this problem has been solved in many areas by constructing so called levees, a kind of dam so that the river water is held back even during times when the river rises to its peak. With this method, millions of acres of the most fertile land in the state have been made productive.

The Main Farm Products. The most important farm product is Texas is cotton. Texas is the leading state in the Union in the production of this product. The yearly production of cotton is on the average around four million bales. Around 50,000 square miles in the state are particularly suitable for growing cotton. But while the state is foremost in the production of cotton, conditions are still suitable for almost all kinds of the more common kinds of crops, in addition to other kinds of semitropical crops for which the southern climate is suitable. They grow for example, corn, wheat, oats, sugarcane, rice, kaffir corn, milo maize, peanuts, potatoes and a large number of products too numerous to mention. In a state where cattle ranching is as advanced as in Texas, it is obvious that hay and feed of different types make up a large part of the production. Even tobacco is grown on not such a small scale. To give an idea of how much is produced of the more common types, we can mention that the yearly production of corn has in the latter years been on the average 250,000,000 bushels, and wheat, 25,000,000 bushels. Kaffir corn, milo maize, feterita and related products have been introduced in Texas comparatively recently, but are now among the leading products especially in the plains in the south and in the Panhandle district in the Northwest. A field of kaffir corn or milo maize offers excellent grazing and as feed it is considered far superior to the common maize. Rice is grown in the coastal area all the way from the Sabine River to the Rio Grande, and from 80 to 100 miles inland, an area which compares with the state of South Carolina. In the cultivation of rice, only one state supercedes Texas, and that is Louisiana. The yearly harvest of rice reaches a value of $5,000,000 on the average. Even though the sugar industry has not yet reached an important level, quite a large amount of sugarcane is still grown, particularly in the river valleys at the mouth of the Brazos, Trinity, Colorado, and Guadalupe Rivers, encompassing a combined area of half a million acres.

Fruit Growing and Market Gardening. Texas has long been renowned for its

suitability for growing vegetables and it is also becoming known and is finding its

place as a fruit growing state. The coastal area is particularly suitable for growing

vegetables and the climate is ideal for this purpose since a lot of vegetables can be

grown throughout the year because of the warm and mild climate. Regarding fruitgrowing, apples can easily be grown in the northern part of the state while peaches

from the eastern part are among the most delicious in the world. Figs are grown in

the coastal area, mostly in Galveston, Harris and Jefferson counties. Satsuma oranges

are also grown

with great success. The areas along the Rio Grande River are famous for their juicy

and sweet grapes. Thousands of boxcars filled with produce, such as wild

strawberries, muskmelons, potatoes, cabbage, cucumber, onion, tomatoes, spinach,

etc., are shipped out of

Peaches from orchards in East Texas

the state yearly, and as profitable products, they are second to cotton and corn. Tobacco is grown in ninety-eight of the state’s counties. The tobacco harvest is not important in regards to quantity. However, quality-wise, it is the very best.

Cattle Ranching. Next to farming, cattle breeding or so called “ranching” is the

most important industry. The west part of the state, or the so-called “Plains Region,”

is particularly suitable for this purpose. Because of the scarce rainfall in this area,

farming is not suitable here, but the precipitation is still enough to support good

growth

A herd of cattle on the SMS Ranch in Texas

“Cowboys” changing horses on the SMS Ranch in Texas

of the grass which offers the finest grazing for cattle, sheep and goats. Texas

surpasses all the other states in the number and size of these ranches. In size they

vary from a few thousand to several million acres. The biggest among them is the

so-called X.I.T. Ranch, which encompasses several counties, including an area of

3,000,000 acres of land, the size of Connecticut, and the

property of the Swenson brothers, the well-known SMS Ranch, in northwest Texas, of around 400,000 acres. Over one hundred thousand head of cattle move about in these enormous grazing areas. When the cattle are well fattened up, they are shipped to Dallas, Fort Worth or Houston within the state, or Kansas City, St. Louis or Chicago to be slaughtered and prepared for the meat-market. About ninety million dollars is brought into the state yearly through this industry. The raising of sheep and goats, horses and mules, swine and poultry is carried out on a large scale as well. Beekeeping is also important within the state.

Hunting and Fishing. The state of Texas offers a good supply of wild animals for hunting. In some parts, especially in the western part of the state, there is a good supply of deer and wild birds. Wild doves and partridges are almost every place in the state. Hare and wild rabbit are abundant. Fishing is still not very well developed, at least not to the extent that it can be considered an important industry within the state. It is mainly in the bays along the coast where they fish, but in the rivers, the sport fishermen can find lots of enjoyment and rewards for his effort. Oyster fishing is particularly rewarding in the various bays and river mouths along the coast. Port Lavaca, Matagorda and Galveston are the main areas for oyster fishing.

Swedish cotton gin and saw mill, Crosby, Texas

Industry. We have already mentioned farming and ranching as the main industries

in Texas. But because of the riches and great availability of raw materials in

additional to the abundance of cheap fuel, the industry in the state is developing rather

strongly. Since they discovered how to extract oil from cottonseed, they have also

learned to use the byproducts as feed for cattle, and in this way they have lately started

concentrate more on the dairy industry than before. Important slaughter houses are located in the bigger cities within the state where the meat is prepared for the market. There are large mills where the grain is ground and made into flour. Since a lot of wheat and corn are grown within the state, this industry is well developed. The timber industry in Texas ranks seventh in the Union. Next to the lumber industry in importance is the production of cotton-oil and cottonseed cakes. For a long time they thought that the cottonseed was useless for anything but sowing, so they did not save more than what was needed to plant for next year’s harvest. The rest was left to lie and rot. Later, a part of it was used as feed, but only a very small amount. Now it’s very different. The seed will soon be considered as important as the rest. The oil which is pressed out of the seed is used instead

The Rice Harvest is Brought to the Mill, El Campo, Texas

of olive oil, lard, and in the production of soap and a number of other things. The shells are used as feed instead of hay. The flour which remains when the oil has been extracted from the shelled seed, is used as feed and is also widely used as fertilizer.

Texas produces around 30,000,000 gallons of cotton oil yearly, which is one fifth of

the production in all of the United States. When it comes to industry in general, it is

basically in its infancy in Texas. There is some mechanical industry, but mostly it is

only repair shops which are connected to the railroad. Cotton factories were also

constructed here and there, but are not of importance. In addition, there is naturally

a lot of other industry, such as printing, etc. In addition, every community has one

or more “Gins”, where the cotton is separated from the seed, and the “lint” is pressed

into bales. In the areas where fruit is grown on a large scale,

there are also important fruit packing plants, in the oil districts there are refineries, and in the rice-belts, there are rice mills. “Chalkburning” is a fairly important industry in certain areas. In general, we cannot say that industry is of great importance in Texas, if you compare it to some of the other states in the Union.

Mining. Even though it is yet only slightly developed, mining in Texas offers rather good, yes, important resources. There are rather rich deposits of minerals, even though they have not had time to use these resources to any large extent. Among the metals, we can mention that silver, iron, lead, zinc, copper, manganese, quicksilver, and even gold are available in profitable amounts. Large deposits of iron-ore has been discovered in eastern Texas, as well as in Llano and Burnet Counties in central Texas. Gold, silver, copper and lead are found in the central mining area in the western part of the state along the Rio Grande, or the border to Mexico. Here there are even quicksilver mines of rather great importance. Gypsum, asphalt, building-stone and coal are available in fairly large quantities. Gypsum is found in Hardeman and surrounding counties, asphalt in Montague, Cooke, Anderson and Uvalde counties, and in the Neches Valley in eastern Texas. Building-stone, such as limestone, marble, granite, etc., is found in great abundance. From the granite quarries in Burnet County, they have gotten all the granite which was used to build the State Capitol in Austin, and to erect the seawall at Galveston, as well as the seawalls or wave-breakers, built in Galveston Harbor, the so-called “Jetties”. The coal which is available is mainly of two types, bituminous and lignite. Lignite coal varies in color from brown to “coal-black”. This type of coal is found in layers of three to twelve feet in thickness, and is found in almost all of the fifty-two counties, which lie between Red River and Webb counties along the Rio Grande River. The most important mines that are worked now are Santo Tomas near Laredo, Vogel in Milam County, and Calvert Bluff in Robertson County. There are two important layers of bituminous coal in the northern part of the state, beginning in Montague and Wise Counties, and reaching to the southwest through Jack, Palo Pinto and Stephens Counties, and then ending in Eastland and Erath Counties. A third layer of coal is found along the Rio Grande from Eagle Pass to Laredo. This area is known as the Eagle Pass Coalfield. The Hartz Mine in the vicinity of Eagle Pass is the most profitable in this area. It is estimated that the Texas coal-district encompasses an area of around 40,000 square miles.

Oil Deposits. Petroleum has been found in quite a lot of places in Texas, such as

Corsicana, Sour Lake, Nacogdoches, Beaumont, Humble, Saratoga, Goose Creek,

all in Harris County; Hoskins Mound in Brazoria County; Markham, Matagorda

County; Gaston in Bastrop County; Cardin in Hardin County; Petrolia, Clay County

and Thrall, Williamson County. Oil was discovered at Corsicana in 1894 while

drilling for water. Two types of oil was found there, one which was used for fuel and

one for the oiling of machines. A particularly rich deposit was found at Spindle Top

near Beaumont on

January 10, 1910. A large number of wells were so called “Gushers”. The oil was thrown by its own force as high as 100 feet or more into the air. The well there gave from 25,000 to 50,000 barrels a day. Since this oil field was discovered, it has produced 40,000,000 barrels of oil. Now the oil must be pumped out of this field as well. The Humble oil field in Harris County is now the most productive, and Sour Lake is second in production. Gas pockets have also been discovered in many places within the state. In Dallas, Fort Worth, Waco and other cities, this kind of gas is used both for cooking and heating. Other places use gas from wells with “natural” gas. Laredo receives gas from the Webb County oil and gas fields.

Water Resources. No life can exist and be sustained without water, and whether there is water available or not, decides mainly if an area can be inhabited by humans or not. Texas is fortunate to have an ample supply of water through wells and aquifers. Texas is also well-known for its many and valuable health-spas. Water at these spas comes from springs as well as from drilled or dug wells. The most important of these establishments are: Mineral Wells in Palo Pinto County; Wooten Wells in Robertson County; Marlin Springs in Falls County; Sour Lake Mineral Springs in Hardin County, Lampasas Springs, Lampasas County and Hot Sulpher Wells, Bexar County.

COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPORT

General Importance. Of greatest importance for the development of a state and the comfort and enjoyment of its settlers, is communication and transport. The easier it is to get in touch with each other and travel back and forth and transport products, the easier and more profitable it is for the people within a specific area or community. If we examine the Texas railroad system in regards to miles, Texas has the longest distance of tracks of any state in the Union. But much is not said by that regarding how it meets the existing need since it is the largest state in the Union. Texas railroads have a total length of 14,300 miles. This is only a few miles more than that of New York, which is only one fifth as large as Texas. But we should also consider that it and other older states are more densely populated and that Texas is a comparatively recently settled state. The main lines, which run north to south are The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe, the Houston and Texas Central, and the Missouri, Kansas and Texas lines.

The two main lines in an easterly and westerly direction are the Texas Pacific, and

the Southern Pacific. These lines and their side-lines unite all places of any

importance within the state. The most important rail centers are Fort Worth and

Dallas in north Texas, El Paso

in the far west, Amarillo in the “Panhandle”, and Houston in the southern part of the state. Galveston is the second city in the nation and the first in the South, when it comes to exporting marketing goods. The railroads, which run from the north to the south through Texas and lead to Galveston, are the ones which the northwestern states use in particular to export their enormous masses of products. A great and important trans-continental transport is handled by the Southern Pacific railroad system, usually called ‘The Sunset System”, which also controls and expedites important ocean traffic and transport via Galveston.

Steamer Traffic. We have already mentioned in the description of Texas Physical Geography, that the rivers in the state are only partially navigable. Because of this condition, shipping within the state is of minor importance. However, there are plans to facilitate traffic on some of the rivers suitable for this purpose, and the United States Government in cooperation with the local state government are yearly spending large sums for this purpose. By constructing locks in different places, they are planning to make the Trinity River navigable for light ships all the way to Dallas. They are working on a plan to make the Brazos River navigable up to Waco, and it has been strongly advised that the Colorado River is to be made navigable to light ships all the way up to Austin. By using Buffalo Bayou and then digging a canal, Houston has been connected with the open sea, and the deepest ocean-going ships can now come up all the way to Houston with their cargo. The Houstonians have great hopes for their “Deep Sea Channel” and are soon expecting important import and export through this area. Improvements are also in progress where they expect light ships to be able to traffic the Sabine River and the Neches River all the way to Beaumont and Orange. By connecting bays along the coast with canals, an inland waterway has been created reaching from Galveston to Corpus Christi. In this way, they have greatly facilitated the constantly increasing coastal traffic. A plan is in progress to extend this waterway from Galveston to the Sabine River in the east, and from Corpus Christi to the Rio Grande in the south. In this way, they would get a channel of about five feet deep and an average of forty feet wide along the entire Texas coast.

Electric Train lines. As the population increases, the demand for faster and

cheaper transportation increases as well. They are trying to meet this demand by

building an electric train system between the larger cities and through the most

densely populated areas. Such railroads have been built between Dallas and

Denison, Dallas and Fort Worth, Dallas and Waco, Fort Worth and Cleburne, Belton

and Temple, Houston and Galveston, and they are entertaining plans to extend these

lines from Waco south all the way to San Antonio and Houston. The first electric

railroad between two cities in Texas was built between Denison and Sherman, and

it was opened to traffic in 1900. These “intercity” railroad

connections fill a long-known need for cheaper and faster connections between larger communities than can be established by the railroads. Highways. A strong force has been established in this country which wants to improve the highway system. They are making strong efforts to make every important road within the state not only drivable in all kinds of weather, but also comfortably so. This is being accomplished with federal aid, which is generously given, with state means, and through local taxation. They are making efforts to make ‘The King of Trails”, which is a continuation of “The Meridian Highway” which reaches from Quebec, Canada, and is intended to reach the Mexican border, into one of the most modern and finest highways in the country. You cannot overestimate the importance of a good highway system. For the transport of farm products to the market place, for pleasure trips or whatever it may be, the country dweller mainly uses the roads. Lately the highways have been appreciated for another reason: they started to realize how valuable the roads were to transport troops and war material. And Texas has been found to be more suitable than any other state in the Union for the establishment of military posts and encampments. Because of this fact, the state’s highways will be noticed by the federal as well as local authorities even more, and in all areas we can expect the state’s transport system to see a great upswing.

GOVERNMENT

Constitution or Constitutional Amendments. Early Texas history is very much connected with the history of Mexico which country Texas was once a part of until 1836, when the part of Mexico which is now Texas formed a separate Republic. In 1846, the Republic of Texas joined the Union of the United States. During the early years, the constitution was therefore the same as the Mexican states except for the ten years when it was a separate republic. The present constitution of Texas was written and ratified in 1876 and gives the state the same right to self-government as the other states in the Union. In this constitution we find the principles in accordance with which all state laws must be written. We also find rules regarding the power of state officials and agencies as well as their duties. According to this constitution, the state shall be governed by three different bodies or departments, that is: the Legislative Department or Congress, the Courts or Judicial Department, and the Executive Department.

The Legislative Assembly or The Legislative Department. The legislative

power belongs to the Senate and the House of Representatives, which together

are called the Texas Legislature. The Senate consists of thirty-one members who serve for four years. For this purpose, the state is divided into thirty-one senatorial districts which can each consist of no less than one county. When one senatorial district contains more than one county, they must be bordering each other. After each federal census, these districts must be re-zoned. This is what is called “redistricting” and it is carried out by the legislature. After the census new senators are elected, which are divided into two groups, those who will serve for two years and those who will serve for four. Then half of the senators are up for re-election every other year until a new census is done and a whole new group of senators are elected and grouped as mentioned before. The House of Representatives can never exceed one-hundred-fifty members. Their term is only two years because the Legislature meets only every other year. The size of the district from which each representative is elected depends on the density of the population, because the district is formed according to the size of the population, by dividing the total population of the state by 150. Every county has the right to as many representatives as its population entitles them to according to the above-mentioned rules. If a county does not have enough population to qualify for its own representative, it will be joined with a neighboring county and thus forming a “joint district”. When a county is entitled to a fraction more than one or more “whole” representatives, the part of the county which is superfluous can be joined with a neighboring county in the same situation, and form what is known as a “Floating District”. The representative who is chosen from such a district, is usually called a floater. Presently there are twenty-three such districts in the state. The legislature meets only every other year, and then it meets on the second Tuesday of January in the Capitol. The regular session cannot last for more than ninety days, but extra sessions can be called by the Governor, and these cannot last for more than thirty days.

The Courts or Justice Department. The Justice Department is divided into different courts which are grouped into higher and lower ones. The higher courts are The State Supreme Court and the Appellate Courts. The Courts of Appeal are divided into two classes, one for criminal and eight for civil cases. The “State Supreme Court” has its seat in the Capitol Building in Austin. Three judges jointly hear each case which has been referred to this court. This court is in session from October 1 to June 1 every year. The judges are chosen directly by the people for a term of six years, and they are elected so that the term lapses for one of them every other year. The Appellate Court or Court of Appeals for criminal cases has its seat in the Capitol in Austin, and it too is chosen by the people for a period of six years. There are eight Courts of Appeal for civil cases within eight different districts, and there are positioned as follows:

1st District, Galveston; 2nd District, Fort Worth; 3rd District, Austin; 4th District, San Antonio; 5th District, Dallas; 6th District, Texarkana; 7th District, Amarillo; 8th District, El Paso. These courts have three judges each which are also elected for a period of six years. They can only hear cases which come to them from County or District courts within their own respective district. From these, one can in certain cases appeal to the Supreme Court, but in most cases their decision is final. These courts are also in session between October and June. The lower courts are District Courts, of which there are a large number which are located in the main cities of each county. County Courts, of which there is one in each county with its seat in the courthouse of each county. Justice of the Peace, of which there can be no less than four and no more than eight in each county. In addition, the large cities have their own Municipal Courts, or “Corporation Courts”, and Police Courts. District Courts must be available for at least two terms yearly. In these courts, they hear the most severe criminal cases and civil cases as well. The District judges are elected by the people for a term of four years. They must live in the district where their court is located. County judges must be available at least once each quarter and more often if the need arises. County judges are elected by the people for a term of two years. The County Courts have jurisdiction over minor civil as well as criminal cases. The Justice of the Peace must hold court at least once a month and be ready to hear criminal cases and judge when someone has been arrested under suspicion of a crime, whether he should be jailed or released under bond, awaiting trial, or if the suspicions are sufficiently well founded, to hold the suspect for further questioning by a higher court or a “Grand Jury”. The right to have your case judged by a “jury” is given to each person. In the lower courts, the jury consists of six men, and twelve in the higher courts, the so-called District Courts. In the Appellate Courts and in the State Supreme Court, the verdicts are handed down by the judges themselves without a jury.

The Executive or The Executive Department. The Executive Department

consists of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, State Treasurer, Comptroller of

Public Accounts, Land Commissioner, Superintendent of Public Schools, the Attorney

General, and the Railroad Commissioner. All are elected for a period of two years,

except for the Railroad Commissioners whose terms of office last for six years. Other

members of the Executive Branch are the Secretary of State, the Insurance Commissioner, the Banking Commissioner, etc. who are appointed by the Governor and

whose term are equal to that of the Governor’s. The Governor’s duties are very much

like those of governors in other states. He has to ensure that the laws are enforced in

all respects within the state. To accomplish this, he has the right to command the

state’s militia to maintain law and order anywhere,

or wherever the need arises. We have already mentioned that some of the state executives are appointed by the governor. He has the power to appoint a large part of the state’s executives and commissioners. If the Senate is in session, the governor makes these appointments. It is his duty to submit the names of those whom he intends to select. If they are not approved by the Senate by two-thirds majority, the governor must make another selection until the chosen individual is confirmed. If none of those are selected by the governor while the Senate is in session, the governor will fill the post with someone who is suitable and can legally hold the position, but none of those whom the Senate has vetoed can be appointed. The governor also has the right to pardon prisoners who have been granted a stay of execution or sentencing. He has to personally handle all correspondence and all official business between Texas as a state and the federal government. At the opening of the legislative session, it is his duty to send a message in which he is expected to summarize the state of affairs within the state, make suggestions for new laws, propose new taxation based on existing need, and give a complete account of the handling of all public funds, and be able to show receipts for the use of those funds. At the end of the session, it is his duty to make a summary of all work that has been carried out by the legislature, and to them send a message about that. He can call an extra session whenever he sees the need, but must specify the reason for the extra session in this message. When the session is open, he can suggest other business, but no other than those which the governor has proposed can be considered during the extra session.

The Lieutenant Governor in the capacity of his post presides over the Senate. His duty is to serve as Governor when the Governor is incapable to fulfill his duties;when the Governor is out of state, severely ill, or when accused by the Senate because of misconduct.

The Secretary of State is in charge of the state’s archives, its books, maps, documents, protocol, and other papers, as well as the State Seal for all proclamations and documents issued by the Governor. He also issues permits for corporations of different types to carry out business according to the regulations established by the legislature. He must always be ready to give all information to the Legislature which he has access to according to his position. He must print and distribute all new laws passed by the Legislature so that the public will be informed of these. He must keep careful records of all elections held within the state and give to the Legislature the complete election information during their session.

The Superintendent of Public Schools is in charge of all public schools within the state.

“The Comptroller of Public Accounts” is actually the state’s accountant.

In his office are kept all records regarding money, public lands and other property belonging to the state, as well as all records of indebtedness owed to the state and all morgages in which the state is interested.

The duty of the State Treasurer is to control all money belonging to the state and to make payments according to directives signed by the Comptroller. The first Monday of November of every year, it is the duty of the State Treasurer to make a complete statement to the Governor regarding the state’s finances. When so requested, he must turn over all books, receipts and other papers in his office to the Legislature for examination or to a committee appointed by the legislature for their scrutiny. The Railroad Commissioners, which are three in number, have as their duties to negotiate between the railroad companies and the general public, and above all, to insure that the rightful demands of the general public are met by the railroad companies.

The duties of the Insurance and Bank Commissioners are to protect the general public from being defrauded by swindlers in the form of insurance companies and bank institutions, which are willing to take the public’s money without being able to meet their obligations to them when requested. Before the bank can be opened or an insurance company can be formed, their business principles as well as their assets are carefully scrutinized by their respective commissioners who have been appointed for this purpose. They will then have their books and accounts opened for auditing whenever these commissioners arrive for this purpose. The State’s Attorney Generals duties are described by his title. He is the State’s representative in all legal affairs. He must interpret all legal paragraphs, and when requested, give his opinion. He is the advisor in all legal questions concerning the State to the Governor and all state executives.

The duties of the Commissioner of Public Lands are to keep careful accounts of all negotiations of the sale of state lands to private individuals, and to protect the state from unfounded claims regarding the state’s lands and in general, to hold in trust all public property.

POLITICAL DIVISION

Politically, the state is divided into 251 different counties. Their original number was 23. By dividing these original counties, the numbers have been increased to the current one, and as the population increases it is probable that continued division will be done. Some counties are still comparatively large, for example El Paso County,which alone encompasses an area as large as all of the State of Massachusetts. The smallest county within the state, that is Rockwall, has an area of 149 square miles.

The inhabitants of the state of Texas in 1910 were 3,896,542, or 14.8 people per square mile. If Texas were as densely populated as the state of New York, it would have over 50,000,000 inhabitants.

The most densely populated counties within the state are as follows: Dallas, with the city of Dallas, Bexar, with the city of San Antonio, Harris, with the city of Houston, Tarrant, within which we find the city of Fort Worth, McLennan, where Waco is situated, Grayson, with the cities of Denison and Sherman, Travis, with the capital city, Austin, Ellis, with the city of Waxahachie, and El Paso, with the city of El Paso. We find the state’s densest population within the “Black-land Belt”. The state has 131 cities of which four have a population of over 100,000. According to the latest estimates, Dallas has 129,632 inhabitants, San Antonio, 135,610 inhabitants, Houston, 112,215 inhabitants, and Fort Worth has a population of 104,562. Among cities which have over 25,000 inhabitants, but under 100,000 inhabitants, we can mention El Paso with 63,705, Galveston with 52,289, Austin with 34,814, and Waco with 45,237. The different military camps near many of these cities have lately practically doubled the number of inhabitants, and most of these “cantonments” will probably become permanent institutions. The different counties have no right to legislate, but are ruled in this area by the state’s legislature. However, the cities can promulgate and accept particular restrictions which are called city ordinances, but these cannot conflict with state laws. Regarding other legislation, each county is represented by a representative in the House of Representatives who has been elected by the county, alone or in conjunction with a nearby county and by the Senator chosen by the senatorial district to which the county belongs.

In Congress in Washington, the State of Texas is represented by 16 Congressmen

who represent in the House of Representatives, and like other states in the Union, by

two Senators.

THE TEXAS SCHOOL SYSTEM

F. L. Hagberg

The educational system in Texas consists of public schools, high schools which

give an education in agriculture, national economics, home economics, teachers

colleges,

Southwestern University, Georgetown, Texas

Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas

schools for women teaching home economics, schools for agriculture, vocational schools and the State University.

The Public Schools in Texas have received larger donations than the schools in any other state in the Union, and the permanent school-fund has now reached $84,055,636.

This fund has mainly been created by selling large land areas which from time to time

The State University

have been set aside by the state. Presently (1913), this state-fund consists of land, and promissory notes to the value of $50,909,287, interest-bearing bonds, $16,703,361, unsold land $3,000,000, stocks in railroads $ 1,172,817, and cash funds $90.729. In addition to the permanent fund which cannot be touched, there is also another state fund which is at the disposal of the schools. This fund which amounts to around seven million dollars is partly derived from the yearly interest from capital and still unsold land areas, partly through a yearly taxation on all male citizens from the age of twenty-one to sixty, as well as an additional tax of twenty cents per one hundred dollars on all property.

Baylor University, Waco, Texas

The Main Building at A & M College, College Station, Texas With a Company of Cadets

This fund is divided proportionally to the schools in the different counties. The school districts are also allowed to collect a local school tax not exceeding fifty cents for property of a hundred dollars value. This local taxation usually reaches five million dollars, and this sum, in addition to the seven million available from the state fund, a total of twelve million dollars, can be used for the yearly upkeep of the schools.

According to the state laws, the schools are kept open at least six months every year,

and the school age is from seven to seventeen years of age. The public schools are

under the supervision of the State Education Department consisting of the Governor, the Controller of Public Funds, and the Secretary of State. The Superintendent of Schools is the Secretary of the Department of Education. There are four schools for the education of white teachers, that is: Sam Houston Normal Institute in Huntsville, North Texas State Normal College, Denton, Southwest Texas State Normal School, San Marcos, and West Texas State Normal School in Canyon. The Normal and Industrial College for the education of teachers of the colored race is situated in Prairie View. Normal schools are professional, and their main purpose is to educate teachers for practical subjects in the schools.

The Agricultural and Mechanical College near Bryan, Brazos County, is a division of The State University and

The Sam Houston Normal Institute, Huntsville, Texas

teaches mechanics and connected sciences. This school has established so-called ‘testing stations’ in different parts of the state where scientific advancements are used in practice on land donated by the state for this purpose. The Government gives funds for this glorious work, and supports “the Office of Dry Land Agriculture” in Dalhart, the Office of Grain Investigation in Amarillo, and the Bureau of Plant Industry in Chillicothe.

The College of Industrial Arts, a state school for women, is situated in Denton. Here they teach home economics, crafts and business, stenography and typing. The school also has a department for education in singing, piano and violin. All courses are free.

The State University is located in Austin. It was opened on September 15, 1883,

and all education is free to residents of the state. Students from high schools affiliated

with the University of Texas are admitted with a diploma from such a school. The

University awards the same degree as the other American universities, but no honor

degrees are given. In addition to the academic courses, there are courses in home

economics, crafts, agriculture,

architecture and business. There is also a correspondence school for those who cannot attend classes. To keep the university in close contact with the other schools in the state, there is a special lecturer with the responsibility to visit the schools in the state and advise their leaders about the best methods of carrying on the education. For the upkeep of the university, the legislature sets aside a certain sum of money each year as well as the interest from the real estate set aside by the state for the university.

The state has two schools for the deaf and dumb, and for the blind, both located in Austin, and a home for the orphans, the State Orphan Home in Corsicana. In addition to the schools organized by the state, there are institutions of higher learning for both the white and colored races, which are supported by churches and private individuals. Among those are: Baylor University, Waco, supported by the Baptist Church; Southwestern University, Georgetown and Dallas, and the Polytechnic College, Fort Worth, belong to the Methodists, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, is supported by the Christian Church and the Austin College, Sherman, and Trinity University, Waxahachie, by the Presbyterian Church. St. Mary’s College, Dallas, belongs to the Episcopal Church, and St. Edward’s College, Austin, belongs to the Catholic Church. Rice University, Houston, was founded by William M. Rice with a fund of ten million dollars and was opened in October, 1912. This institution with its great resources will certainly take a leading role among the educational facilities in Texas.

IMMIGRATION TO AMERICA

and the Foundation of Swedish Churches here

Alfred L. Scott

History tells about three large waves of immigration from the Nordic countries. The first age of immigration, which is partially obscured by the mist of the fairy-tale, started about 1000 A.D. The second exodus happened during Sweden’s era of empire when Gustav n Adolf’s grand idea for a Swedish colony in the new world was realized. The third and probably the last immigration actually started in the 1840’s. The only thing we know about the Nordic colonies in “Vinland the Good”, is that they once existed. Without carefully examining the historical facts which lie behind the statement that the Norsemen (Swedes, Norwegian, Danes and Icelanders) discovered North America around 1000 A.D., I only want to point out a few things in this country which stand there as a reminder from a time when our old forefathers went west. One such is the Assonet Rock or the Dighton Writing Rock at Assonet, on the bank of the Cohammet River in Massachusetts. On this rock, which is about 12 feet tall, there are several Latin letters and primitive hieroglyphs which researchers consider to be an illustration to Thorfinn Karlsefne’s story. The writing, deciphered, goes like this: “Thorfinn’s 151 men took possession of this land.” Another ancient monument is the ruin of a round building in Newport, Rhode Island, probably used by the Norsemen as a church. When Christopher Columbus later steered his ships over the Atlantic waves, these daring journeys to Vinland were a lodestar for him. But we leave “Vinland the Good” of the middle ages with the impression that Christianity was first preached in this country by our ancestors. It is in the spring of 1638, when the second wave of immigration from the High North commences. A “New Sweden” is founded in the New World. Swedish is spoken and evangelism is preached according to the Lutheran faith for nearly 200 years, and we also see one after the other of the Swedish churches joined with the English-Episcopal Church. The last Swedish pastor, Nils Collin, entered the Kingdom of God on October 7, 1831. The Swedish Mission in Delaware which lasted for 193 years is now just a memory but a valuable and educational one. On the rock by the Delaware River where our Pilgrim forefathers landed. The Delaware Society of Colonial Dames erected a stone on the 200th anniversary of the landing.

You can read on the granite block: “This stone is a portion of the rock on which

landed the first Swedish colonists in America,

29 March, 1638.” On this spot stood Fort Christina. Here the Swedes held their first Civil Courts, and in the Chapel of the fort they celebrated their first Christian worship in the New World.

Eighteen years after the death of Nils Collins in 1849, the Swedish Lutheran pastor, Lars Paul Esbjom arrived in the U.S. and started his work in Andover, Illinois, among his fellow Swedes. Four years earlier, the Father of Swedish Methodism, O.G. Hedstrom, preached to a few Swedes at the Bethel Ship in New York, and on December 15,1846, the world’s first Swedish Methodist Church was founded by five people in Victoria, Dlinois. It was pastor Jonas J. Hedstrom, the brother of O.G. Hedstrom, who was the founder and pioneer of Swedish Methodism in the West.

Around 16 miles north of Victoria, .Eric Janson founded the Bishop Hill Colony.

This was in 1846.

The first Swedish Lutheran Congregation during the later period of immigration was founded in New Sweden, Jefferson County, Iowa, in 1848. On March 18,1850 the previously mentioned Pastor Esbjom founded the Lutheran congregation in Andover, Illinois. This congregation is considered by many to be the first, but the New Sweden congregation in Iowa should be just as qualified for first place even if its organization was not quite complete.

We also count the Swedish Episcopal minister, Gustav Unonius, as a founder. He was not a minister when he came to America in 1841, and settled with his followers on Pine Lake (Tallsjons) in the State of Wisconsin. When he arrived, he had planned to peacefully spend his days on the beautiful shores of Pine Lake. But circumstances took him on a different road than he had anticipated. This activity led him to a newly built bigger “Pine Lake” and other colonies where laid a strong foundation in the area. In 1849 he was called to become the minister of the Swedish congregation in Chicago. He returned to Sweden in 1858 where he died in 1902.

SWEDISH CHURCHES IN TEXAS

The Founding of the Swedish Lutheran Church in Texas

and the Northern States

Alfred L. Scott

The large numbers of strong young men and beautiful blue-eyed maidens who emigrated from Smaland and came to Texas during the latter half of 1849, and in the 1850’s, 1860’s, and 1870’s, were, without exception, Lutherans. It may be true that their rich heritage of Nordic strength and deep faith lay unused. Here however, it would come to use. In the transformation of the Texas wilderness and the creation of happy communities with the advantages of Christianity and civilization, these early immigrants got deeply involved and made lasting contributions. The oldest colonies we can find in Texas are in Austin, Brushy and New Sweden.

In these communities, Swedish Lutheran work started early. It was natural that the first Swedish immigrants to Texas turned to their old homeland to get pastors. The Swedish Lutheran Augustana-Synod in North America was at that time really new, and its work was barely known in Texas. In the beginning of 1870, we can find two Lutheran pastors, Karlen and Tillman, the first from Sweden and the latter from Finland, working for a time among their countrymen in Texas. Little is known about Karlen; Tillman founded Swedish Lutheran churches in Austin and Brushy in 1870. He did his best as long as he was here, but as soon as he returned to his homeland, the Swedish pioneers again had to look around for pastors.

This time they turned to the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Augustana-Synod of

North America with the result that the Pastors S.P.A. Lindahl, L.A. Hocanzon, and

J.O.Cavallin, one after the other, visited the Swedish communities in Travis and

Williamson Counties. Hocanzon founded in 1875 the congregations in Austin and

Brushy, and Cavallin organized the congregation in New Sweden in the beginning

of 1876. In the summer of 1876, Pastor Martin Noyd came to the Brushy

congregation, and in addition to that one, served both Austin and New Sweden

churches. As the first permanently stationed Swedish Lutheran Augustana pastor in

Texas, Pastor Noyd is thus the pioneer of our church. After his 42 years as pastor

in the Augustana-Synod, he spent over 30 years devoted to the spiritual work in the

field of the Lutheran Church in Texas. The experienced veteran from

many spiritual battlefields is still active in one of our outposts in the South, a faithful guardian on the walls of Zion.

In 1882, six years after Pastor Noyd arrived. Pastor J. A. Stamline came to Austin. In addition to the congregation there, he also served New Sweden. He had worked in Texas before as a student, so he was not a stranger to the conditions here when he arrived as a pastor. With the exception of a few years when he worked in the missionary field of the Conference, he has spent all of his career in Texas. For many years he was also the headmaster of Trinity College, Round Rock, Texas. He has retired from active service as a pastor, but is still very active visiting missionary areas and vacant “pastorships” where he preaches the gospel. He has been present from the beginning and witnessed the founding of our church. He is not only a founder; he has also helped build the foundation.

The third pastor who has carried out blessed work within our church in Texas was Gustav Berglund. His first post was in New Sweden. With his arrival in 1886, the first three Swedish congregations in Travis and Williamson Counties had acquired pastors. Berglund later became pastor in Austin and in Brushy, where he died in 1899.

The Swedish Lutheran Church in Texas was founded with the above mentioned congregations and joined with the Augustana-Synod. Among the founders we count the pastors, M. Noyd, J. A. Stamline, and to some extent, Pastor Gustaf Berglund. During the years the Church has grown and now in 1918 it has 19 congregations and 15teachers. The members are 1,910, and the entire congregation is 3,015. There are 844 children taught in Sunday school by 114 teachers. The expenses for different purposes in 1917, amounted to $23,500. The congregations are divided into two missionary districts, Austin and El Campo, which are joined organizationally to the Kansas Conference of the Evangelical Lutheran Augustana-Synod of North America. The Augustana-Synod was founded in the Norwegian Lutheran Church in Clinton, Rock County, Wisconsin, June 5, 1860. It consisted of Swedish and Norwegian congregations and mixed ones. At the founding meeting in Clinton, the Augustana-Synod counted 36 Swedish congregations with 3,753 members and 17 pastors, 13 Norwegian congregations with 1,220 members and 10 pastors. There were 21 Swedish churches and 8 Norwegian ones. For ten years, the Swedes and Norwegians worked together. At a meeting in Andover, Illinois, in 1870, they decided to divide. During the ten years they were together the synod developed and in 1870, it had 99 Swedish and 30 Norwegian congregations; 13 were mixed; it hadl6,376 Swedish and 1,784 Norwegian members; and there were 46 Swedish and 27 Norwegians pastors.

The work of the Augustana-Synod, and its growth during the years 1860-1917, is shown by the following statistic: Year 1860 - 17 pastors, 36 congregations, 21 churches, 3,753 members, total expenses $9,171.00.

Year 1917: 710 pastors, 1,225 congregations, 1,110 churches, 191,390 active members, 278,333 members, total expenses $2,383,920. The synod owns and controls 32 charitable establishments, with an estimated value of $2,203,628: a theological seminary and ten colleges with a property value of $2,300,000. The synod’s church property is valued at $2,207,404. The total value of all property belonging to the Synod amounts to $6,711,032. The Augustana-Synod contains 12 conferences and 4 missionary districts. The Swedish Lutheran Church in North America has grown during a period of 70 years (1848-1918) to the point that it now has 1,225 congregations served by 710 pastors.

These are just some outlines of the history of the Swedish Lutheran Church in Texas and some recollections about the founding of our church and its early development in this country. “Now we see through a mirror in a hazy way, but later we will be face to face; now we feel only partially, later we will feel totally, like we will also be known.”

GETHSEMANE CONGREGATION IN AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY

This is the oldest Swedish Lutheran Church in Texas. In 1915 there was the celebration of its fortieth anniversary.

The facts for this review are taken from the church history compiled by Pastor Gideon C. Olson and read by him at the above-mentioned celebration. From the information received from an early immigrant, there were 16 families living in Austin in 1868 as well as 50 unmarried young farm-hands. Two Lutheran preachers, Karlen and Tillman, the former from Sweden and the latter from Finland, were the first to preach in the Swedish tongue to our people in Texas. Their activities here were very short in duration.

A Swedish Lutheran Congregation was established in Austin in 1870. It was reorganized under Pastor Tillman in 1871. According to the churchbook, this congregation consisted of 39 members among whom were Anders Liden, Gustaf Johan Lundell, Johannes Manson, Olaus Nelson, Karl Rydell, Adolf Skogland, Johannes Swenson, Otto Swenson, Johan Peter Swenson, Karl Tornblom, and Nels Johan Westerberg. On February 11, 1872, the group decided to build a church. An organization named Svea took care of the building of the church. The church was dedicated on March 10,1874, by a Norwegian Lutheran pastor called 0. 0. Estrem. On November 15,1874, Dr. S. P. A. Lindahl preached in the new church, and was the first pastor within the Augustana-Synod to preach for the Swedish people of Texas. Because of his account to the directors of the missions, they sent Pastor L. A. Hocanzon to serve for a time among the Swedes of Texas. On February 14,1875, he organized the Swedish Lutheran Gethsemane Church in Austin.

At the founding of the church, the congregation consisted of 8 8 active members and

46 children. The first church was built on West 9th Street. “It was”, said Pastor

Hocanzon,

“small and simple, and located between two Negro churches, which was very disturbing.”

During the Fall of 1875, Pastor J. O. Cavallin arrived in Texas and worked here six months. The following year, the Austin and Brushy congregations joined together to form a pastorate, and called theology student, Martin Noyd, who accepted the call. As soon as he was ordained, he came to Texas, settling in Brushy in July, 1876. Of his experiences, he writes, “In July, I took charge of the congregation. Since I had to live in Brushy and also had to take charge of the New Sweden congregation, I could not give the Austin group anywhere near the attention they needed. In addition to occasional evening services, I preached in Austin regularly, every other Sunday. At different times I also had to go to Manor in the afternoon so that Austin received no more than a high mass. Those who attended services did so regularly, and valued the opportunity to hear the Word and showed me much devotion. The congregation increased almost unbelievably.

While I saw clearly that if any good was to be done at least one more man must be secured, I resigned and advised the congregation to call a student.” In October, 1879, Pastor Noyd resigned from the congregation. The Austin-Brushy pastorate dissolved, and Austin and New Sweden combined to form a pastorate. During the vacancy, the students, J. A. Stamline, C. J. Collin, and J. R. Hemborg, served the congregation. Theology student, J. A. Stamline, was called as pastor for the Austin-New Sweden pastorate, and accepting the call, he came to Austin in July, 1882. He carried on the pastorate work here until November, 1887. In the Fall of the same year, the congregation agreed to sell the church property and to buy in a more suitable location. A subscription was taken up, the old church building was sold for $900, and a new place was bought for $ 1600.00. The location chosen, which is the present one, is on the city’s most prominent street. Congress Avenue, two blocks from the Capitol. The work went so well and was done so promptly that in November, 1883, the new church was dedicated by Pastor J. A. Stamline who was the only pastor in the district. The student, Ostergren, Professor Anderson, and the deacons of the church assisted at the dedication. With the exception of the steeple, the new church cost $6,500. We are aware that it was well built for even today it is the place of worship for the congregation.

Theology students, G. Landin and E. Glad, took care of the congregation during

the vacancy between 1887-1889. In the beginning of 1889, Pastor GustafBerglund

took charge of the congregation in Austin. He was pastor in Austin until August,

1892. After he moved away the church was served by the students, C. 0. Strom and

A. E. Johnson. Pastor G. A. Dorfcame to Austin in July, 1895, the same year he was

ordained. Services and Sunday school classes were held in Decker during this

period. Church work was continued in Elroy with the result that a church was

established there in 1897, and a building was finished in 1899. Pastor Dorf moved

away in August, 1899, and the following

November, Pastor C. G. Widen, arrived. Austin and Elroy combined to form a pastorate, and Pastor Widen served the same until his death. May 13, 1907.

The Swedish Lutheran Church and Parsonage, Austin, Texas

In the fall of 1899, a pipe-organ was installed at the cost of $1,150.00. The congregation celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary in 1900. Concerning this celebration. Pastor Widen said:

“Our congregation celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary on December 9th. For

Saturday

night, the Gustaf Adolf Society had arranged an exceptionally good concert performed by the choir and the orchestra, which was well attended. This tended to put the congregation in tune from the very beginning. The church had been renovated and with the beautiful pipe-organ, it was clad in holiday array. All the preachers in the district were at hand, and distributed among us, the Word of Truth. At the three services which were held during this holiday, the church was filled to capacity with attentive listeners. With gratitude to the Lord for His work among us during the past 25 years, we wish to raise the banner in His name.” Pastor J. S. Ryding took over the congregation in May, 1908, but remained only a year. Pastor G. A. Ekman came in September, 1910, and was the congregation’s pastor until July, 1913. Concerning this period. Pastor Ekman writes as follows:

“It is not up to me to praise my own work, but the services were all well attended with the exception of the week-day services. The young people seemed to take more interest in the weekly services than the older people did. The different organizations were very active and helpful in keeping the treasury strong. A new electrical lighting system was installed by the Luther League, cement sidewalks were put down by the Ladies Aid, the church was renovated, and paving of the street in front of the church on Congress Avenue was contracted for. The expenses for missions and schools were paid regularly. Everything moved along peacefully and smoothly; there was no friction, and the congregation grew. The Austin congregation is probably one of the Synod’s most active groups. May the Lord bless to the utmost His Swedish Lutheran Zion in Austin.”

Theology student, Gideon C. Olson, was called to be pastor of the congregation, after he was ordained at the synod meeting in 1913. He came here in the late summer of the same year. At the yearly meeting in 1914, the congregation decided to build a new parsonage. A building-committee was elected, consisting of Pastor Gideon C. Olson, Carl Bergstrom, Carl Widen, Dr. J. A. Udden, William Anderson, John Bergstrom, Alfred Tornquist, Aron Wetter, Otto Danielson, Adolf Bergstrom and Olaus Nelson. A beautiful and practical parsonage was built for $4,500.00. Services in English began during Pastor Olson’s tenure and were held the first Sunday night of each month. The old parsonage was remodelled to serve as a Luther Hall.

The Luther League has bought and installed a fine piano in the church. August Swenson from Hutto gave a chime clock to the congregation at its fortieth anniversary in 1915.

At the yearly meeting in 1918, there were 253 members of which 180 were communicants. In June, Pastor Gideon Olson left Austin to take charge of a congregation in Woodhull, Illinois.

Sunday School has been conducted during the entire period of the existence of the congregation. Mr. Carl Bjorkman served as Sunday school director for many years.

C. J. Carlson, John Ljunggren, C. A. Holm, N. Mellin,

Oscar Carlson, C. J. Ekman, Alfred Tomquist, and Victor Bengtson have since filled this position. Including the “cradle roll” in which 30 are enrolled, there are 85 children taught by 9 teachers.

A school for the entire congregation has been held every summer for many years.

Organizations

The Ladies Aid has worked without interruption since 1883. It has been the congregation’s best financial aid, and without its assistance, it would have been hard to meet outstanding expenses.

The Luther League. This organization is a continuation of the Gustaf Adolf group. The group meets twice a month, and the meetings are held alternatively in Swedish and in English. In addition to its normal work, this organization has worked for the financial aid of the church.

The Art Club, Dorcas, was established by Pastor C. G. Widen during the Spring of 1901. At first the girls would do handicrafts at their meetings. They have ceased doing this, and now the young people gather for a social meeting in various homes to which they are invited. The purpose of the group is to bring together the young people and to add to the church treasury.

The Choir. Church singing and music has had a prominent place in the Austin congregation and there has always been a choir. During the time of C. G. Widen, there was an orchestra. No one has done as much for music and choir-singing as Miss Hilda Widen who has been organist and choir director for many years.

PALM VALLEY CONGREGATION IN WILLIAMSON COUNTY

The first Swedish immigrants who came to Texas settled as a rule in the beautiful country where live oak, elm, and pecan trees flourished in the river valleys. By the riverbed they built their log-cabins, because there was a ready supply of water and the ancient live oaks provided shade. The open prairie became the best grazing land; the possibilities for cultivation were great. The wide out-stretched prairies belonged during the first part of the pioneer period to the ranchers, and the cowboy was king over his long-homed Texas cattle.

The second oldest of the Swedish colonies in Texas is Brushy. The name for the community was derived from Brushy Creek near which the first settler built their homes. Among those settling in the Brushy valley was the famous Palm family, and thus this area was called Palm Valley. Since then, tlie Swedish Evangelical Lutheran congregation in Brushy has used this name. The Lutheran Church in Brushy and the Lutheran Church in Palm Valley are therefore different names which apply to the same congregation. The most important events in the history of the congregation were recalled by Pastor 0. M. Bloom’s historical account, read at the fortieth anniversary of the congregation.

The first settlers speak in particular of two of the pastors of the Swedish church who were drawn to Texas. These were Karlen and Tillman. The former is almost forgotten while Tillman with his quaintness is still remembered by the older people. In the old church book. Pastor Tillman has written: “Churchbook for the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Brushy Church in Williamson County, Texas, North America, founded on November 27,1870, because that was when the undersigned preached for the first time in the schoolhouse. On April 21,1872,1 made my farewell sermon there. D. M. Tillman, Swedish Lutheran pastor from Gla parish, Finland, Sweden, where I have now returned.” Some are still alive who remember Pastor

The Swedish Lutheran Church, Palm Valley, Texas

Tillman’s farewell sermon. In another place in the church-book, he writes: “On November 27,1870, on the first Sunday in Advent, the undersigned preached for the first time in the Brushy congregation’s schoolhouse, situated in Mr. Cauldwells field.” In another entry, “On February 10,1872, one acre of the 22 acres of ground, which Mr. Consul S. M. Swenson from New York gave to the congregation as a cemetery, was solemnly dedicated in the presence of a large group of people.” According to Pastor Tillman, the first Lutheran church in Brushy, was founded on November 27, 1870.

A Norwegian Lutheran pastor, Estrem, from Bosque County, Texas, preached

for the settlers, and administered the Holy Communion. He, too, founded a church in Brushy on May 17, 1874. A constitution was drawn up and was included in the first book of records. In the “Memoirs of C. Chamquist”, we find the following:

“Pastor Tillman had many good qualities, and great knowledge. As a preacher, he was orthodox and adhered to ceremony, staying close to the Swedish state church ritual. In sermonizing, he surpassed all other pastors which the Smaland people had ever heard.” Concerning a sermon that Pastor Tillman gave on Christmas morning, 1871, he says the following: “Pastor Tillman does not deserve any praise for being excellent in extemporaneous speaking, because his sermon was only a compilation from beginning to end.”

Thus both Karlen and Tillman have come and gone; and it became evident that if our people in Texas were to have spiritual teaching and fellowship, they

The Swedish Lutheran Parsonage, Palm Valley, Texas

must turn to the founding church in this country, that is, the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Augustana-Synod. Anders J. Nelson read the Augustana-Synod newspapers, and was very familiar with its work. He wrote to Dr. T. N. Hasselquist and asked him to send a pastor to Texas to take charge of the Swedish people. In answer to this plea, Dr. S. P. Lindahl, pastor of the Swedish Lutheran Church in Galesburg, Illinois, came here. He preached in the Swedish communities in Travis and Williamson counties and investigated the district. As a result of this investigation, Pastor L. A.

Hocanzon was sent here to organize the work. A. J. Nelson sent Dr. Hasselquist

$50.00 of his own money for Pastor Hocanzon’s trip and promised that his travel

expenses would be paid. Pastor Hocanzon came to Brushy in January, 1875, and on

February 14, the following year, he founded the Brushy congregation. From this

date, the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Brushy or Palm Valley Church counts its

existence. The number of “charter” members was 156, of which 95 were active

members. Of these first members, many have had to lay down the staff of life

and now rest in hallowed graves; a few have moved to other areas, and others have gone to other denominations. The charter members who lived and belonged to the congregation at the fortieth anniversary in 1915, are as follows: Mrs. H. T. Stark, Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Bjork, Mrs. John Berg, Mrs. Anders J. Nelson, Mr. Sven A. Anderson, Mrs. Carl Forsman, Mr. and Mrs. Johan Israelson, William Hörd, Mr. and Mrs. P. J. Peterson, Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Palm, Mr. A. Peterson, Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Engstrand, Mr. Adolf Engstrand, Mr. Gottfrid Anderson, Mr. A. J. Seth, and Mrs. J. Johnson. At the synod meeting in Vasa, Minnesota, 1875, the congregation was taken in as a member of the Augustana-Synod. The synod’s missionary board called Pastor J. 0. Cavallin to work for a time among the people of Texas. At the yearly meeting in 1876, the church called theology student, Martin Noyd, to become their pastor. He accepted the call, and after he was ordained at the synod meeting in Jamestown,

The Swedish Lutheran Church Cemetery, Palm Valley, Texas

New York, on June 25, the same year, he came to Brushy, Texas. Young and powerful both in body and in soul and burning with a desire for the spiritual welfare of our people, he used his youthful strength on the spiritual field among his people in Texas, not only in Brushy, but also in Austin and New Sweden. As the first Swedish Lutheran pastor who has held a pastorate in Texas Dr. M. Noyd is the founding father of the Swedish Lutheran Church in Texas.

The old church was built in 1874. During the first years the church also served as a public schoolhouse. At the yearly meeting in 1882, a decision was made to add to the church. From time to time, necessary repairs were made, and the little place of worship was always beautiful and inviting.

The congregation grew. New times brought new demands. At a special meeting in

March, 1890, it was decided that a new church should be built, and at a meeting held

in August the decision was made that the church was to be built of wood. They did

not stick to this decision, and at the yearly meeting held in 1891 the congregation

agreed that the church was to be of brick or stone. B ut no church building came about

because they could not agree on a building plan. At a special meeting in April, 1984, all previous decisions regarding church building were repealed and new plans were made. A building committee was appointed, consisting of the following: Pastor GustafBerglund, Anders J. Nelson, John A. Nelson, J. E. Gustafson, P. J. Peterson, A. J. Palm, J. F. Blad, A. J. Anderson, and N. J. Westerberg. The cornerstone for the church was laid on June 19, 1894. The church is built in the Gothic style and is of red brick. It is 70 feet long, 40 feet wide, 20 feet high along the walls, and has a high steeple which can be seen from far away. It is the largest and most beautiful of the Swedish churches in Texas. Dedication of the church took place on April 12,1896, at the same time as the Kansas conference held its yearly meeting in Brushy. Only five pastors have had the pastorship in the Brushy congregation. They are as follow: Theology student. Dr. Martin Noyd, 1876-1883, Pastor A. W. Stark, 1885-1886, Dr. Martin Noyd, 1887-1892, Pastor GustafBerglund, 1892-1899, Dr. R. P. Acsell, 1899-1905, and PastorO. M. Bloom, from 1905 until the presenttime. Pastor Berglund passed away while pastor in Brushy, April 6,1899, and is buried in Brushy. As a symbol of gratitude to their devoted pastor, the congregation has erected a beautiful monument on Berglund’s grave.

The congregation has constantly been concerned with the Christian upbringing of the children and the young people. Sunday school and a Swedish-Christian weekday school have been held during the existence of the congregation. In the church the following organizations work: the Luther League, the Willing Workers, the Mission Society, and the Ladies Aid.

There has always been a choir to sing at the services and for special occasions. The church now includes 380 communicant members and 219 children, for a total of 599 members. The church property is valued’at $20,000. Pastor 0. M. Bloom finished his description of the congregation, during its first 40 years, with these words: “In God’s kingdom there is much that belongs to eternity. Now we can see only a part, and of that part I have presented only a bit. A beautiful day is dawning forGod’s people when all shall be revealed in the light. Then we shall see all.”

NEW SWEDEN CONGREGATION IN NEW SWEDEN,

TRAVIS COUNTY

The Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Congregation in New Sweden, Travis County, Texas, was established on February 23,1876, in Manor, and carried the name Manor until 1887 when it was renamed and took the name, New Sweden. Pastor J. 0. Cavallin served as chairman and G. J. Ax as secretary.

The following persons and families signed as members: Gustaf Johanson Ax and

his wife, Johanna Swenson, the son of the preceding couple, Johan Axell and his wife,

Anna Carolina, and their son, Henry; Anders Johan Almquist and his wife, Stina

Catharina Nilson, and

their children, Emelia Christina, Anna Augusta, Maria and Johanna Matilda; Adolph

Fredrik Anderson and his wife, Josephina Christina, and their daughter, Anna

Josephina; Claes Johan Skog and his wife, Hedvig Larsberg, and their children,

Johanna Rosalie and John Oscar; Carl Johan Johanson Krut and his wife, Anna Stina

Johanson, and their children, Nels Johan Lindstrom and Christina; Anders Gustaf

Swenson and his wife,

The Swedish Lutheran Church, New Sweden, Texas

Maria Carlson, and their children Frans Oscar and Anna Sofia; Carl Peter Manson and

his wife, Emma Katharina Johanson, Peter Johan Swenson and his wife, Emma

Wilhelmina Frick, and their children, Ida Maria and Johan August, C. L. Wandali,

born in 1871 on the ocean, and Joseph William; Johan Alfred Stenholm and his wife,

Mathilda Maria Gylfe, and their sons, Carl Herman and Sven August; Gustaf Frederik

Hedberg and his wife, Anna Sofia