Moses Austin

Moses Austin Born in 1761 in Connecticut In 1783 he ran a successful dry goods store in Philadelphia, PA He moved to Virginia a year later and opened another store. Moses was a great businessman

Lead Mine Bought a lead mine in West Virginia Moses did much to improve the mining industry Brought in experts from England to introduce a new way of mining He was called the “Lead King” In 1790 his mine failed

Moves West Moses Austin asks for Spain’s permission to mine in the Louisiana Territory He received a sitio, 4,428 acres of land, and several mines, and a contract to settle 30 families The land would be free if Moses and the 30 families would be loyal Spanish citizens Moses crafted the first settlement in Missouri

1803 U.S. purchased Louisiana from France Moses became a U.S. citizen Started Bank of St. Louis and loaned money to speculators The bank failed because of the recession and the inability of the speculators to sell the land. Moses lost his fortune

Moses Austin in Texas Went to Spain for help, proposed to settle 300 families Proposal was denied at first due to problems with filibusters Austin was asked to leave Texas at once. Met with Baron de Bastrop who convinced Spain to agree with the proposal. Texas needed colonists to settle here to keep the filibusters away. The colonists would serve as a buffer between the unfriendly Natives and the Spanish settlements.

Moses heads back to Missouri The trip back to Missouri was filled with difficulty. Moses became very sick. In 1821 he made it back to Missouri, but was on his death bed. His dying wish was for his son, Stephen F. Austin, to settle the families in Texas Moses Austin died on June 10, 1821.