Ganado

Ganado

(Severin)

Biographies Alf. L. Scott and T. J. Westerberg

Jackson County is one of the oldest in Texas; the district was created as early as 1835 and was recognized as a county in 1837, soon after the revolution. In the early 1800’s, 1827-1828, pioneers settled by the Lavaca Bay and the Lavaca and Navidad Rivers, which were the border lines to the Austin, the DeWitt, and the DeLeon colonies. Settlement in these areas has gone slowly. Large tracts of land are still uninhabited and large herds of cattle are grazing on the open prairies. Ranching is therefore still an important business. The reason for the sparse colonization here, as in other coastal areas, is the swampy land lacking adequate drainage, a condition which has been corrected in later years, and rice, cotton and corn has been cultivated with great success. The Swedish community is located just outside the city of Ganado and carries the same name. Most of the Swedes moved here from the northern states of Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois at the beginning of the 1890’s. Many of them, or their parents, had been pioneers in the areas they came from. Their biographies are interesting and bear witness that through hard work Swedish perseverance has won out, and economic conditions have improved to make the autumn of their lives easier.

Swedes are leading businessmen in the city. A Swedish bank, a hardware store, a mechanical workshop, a modern cotton gin are among the business we can mention that are owned and managed by Swedes. The community is Swedish Lutheran and has a fine church in the city.

Extracted from: Swedes In Texas In Words and Pictures,

English Translation, 1838 - 1918