13.3 Texas Life

Farming, Towns and Transportation Many Texans, whether old settlers or new immigrants, were farmers and ranchers. Their farms varied widely in size. Although some farms were large plantations, most were small family farms. Small scale farms had few or no slaves; instead they did most of the farm tasks on their own.

Farming, Towns and Transportation Farmers cleared acres of land to build homesteads, plant crops and create pastures for grazing animals. Texas farmers mostly grew food for their own needs, although they often produced a small cash crop such as corn, cotton, wheat, rye, or oats – to sell for profit.

Farming, Towns and Transportation In the Republic, most cattle ranchers raised animals for their own use or to sell to other Texans. Ranchers supplied townspeople and farmers with food, hides and other materials. A few ranchers such as Taylor White, drove their cattle to New Orleans to sell them in markets there.

Farming, Towns and Transportation Tejanos owned ranches in the Rio Grande valley. Macedonio Vela, Hipilito Garcia, and Dionisio Guerra all owned large successful ranches. Some free African Americans such as Robert Thompson of Montgomery County also owned ranches. Ranchers worked hard to care for their livestock.

Farming, Towns and Transportation Texans often struggled to clear land and to build homes and businesses in the Republic’s new settlements. Most of the jobs in the towns were related to agriculture. Doctors, shopkeepers, blacksmiths, silversmiths, tailors, cabinetmakers, and bankers operated in the largest towns.

Farming, Towns and Transportation Houston and Galveston grew quickly as immigration moved to them. Their founders chose locations that were beneficial for trade. New towns further inland such as Dallas also began to grow. Map of Dallas Texas

Farming, Towns and Transportation Travel between towns was difficult. The government tried to build new roads but had limited success. Texas roads remained poor, particularly in bad weather. Travel by horseback or stagecoach was often uncomfortable and dangerous.

Farming, Towns and Transportation Some rivers were used for transporting goods and people. The first steamboat to enter a Texas river was the Ariel. Henry Austin, who was SFA’s cousin, had begun operating this boat on the lower Rio Grande in 1829. He traded with Mexican merchants and later took the Ariel up the Brazos River.

Farming, Towns and Transportation By the 1840’s several steamboats traveled the Brazos, Colorado and Trinity Rivers. These boats shopped cotton and other farm products from Texas farms and brought in needed goods to Texas settlers. Few Texas rivers were suited for steamboats, however. Floods, low water and sandbars often prevented travel. The lack of a good transportation system slowed the growth of business and towns in the Republic.

Literature, Leisure and Art Texans enjoyed a number of leisure activities. Some were part fun and part work, such as building houses for newcomers, participating in log-splitting contests, and hunting and fishing. Other activities were all fun such as songfests and dances. Many Texans also enjoyed concerts, horse races and the theater House building…work and fun!!

Literature, Leisure and Art Some citizens enjoyed literature and art, although both were scarce on the frontier Texas. Most books published in the Republic dealt with its history and travel in Texas. Authors on these subjects included Mary Austin Holley and William Kennedy.

Literature, Leisure and Art Some Texans also wrote poetry. Two early Texas poets were Mirabeau B. Lamar and Reuben M. Potter. The most common publications in the Republic were newspapers. In 1836 Texas only had one weekly newspaper, but by 1840, more than a dozen papers were being published in the Republic. The Telegraph and Texas Register Newspaper

Literature, Leisure and Art Artists, including portrait painters Charles Kneass and Thomas Jefferson Wright practiced in Texas. Many of the Republic’s artists were new immigrants. Some sculptors also lived in the Republic. Juan Nepomucena Seguin by Thomas Jefferson Wright 1838

Churches and Schools In the towns and countryside, Texans established many churches. After Texas’ independence, Roman Catholicism was not longer the official state religion Many Protestant denominations soon built churches. The Methodist church was the largest denomination in the Republic followed by Baptists, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians.

Churches and Schools Catholicism was the dominant religion in Galveston, San Antonio and Tejano communities along the Rio Grande. Most Czech and Polish immigrants also belonged to the Catholic Church.

Churches and Schools Jewish immigrants from central and eastern Europe settled in communities across Texas. Jewish immigrants established synagogues, or Jewish temples, in Galveston, Houston and San Antonio. Churches and temples served as the religious and social centers of most Texas communities. Congregation B'nai Israel, Galveston, Texas The oldest synagogue in Texas

Churches and Schools Churches also ran most of the schools. Rutersville College was founded by a Methodist Church in 1840. Later college included Galveston University and the University fo San Augustine. Rutersville College

Churches and Schools Mirabeau B. Lamar wanted Texas to establish a system of public education, funds for such an effort were scarce. Houston was the only town in the Republic to establish a public school The school operated off and on throughout the 1840s. Several towns established private academies – schools that offered classes at the high school level. Frontier schoolhouse