1. Moses Austin

2. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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.

8. 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.