With a preface by BILL ALLCORN Commissioner of the General Land Office AUSTIN, TEXAS 1958 AUSTIN, TEXAS 1958 The Old GENERAL LAND OFFICE BUILDING — BUILT IN THE YEARS 1856-1857 IN AUSTIN, TEXAS The Old General Land Office Building, pictured (above) as it appeared about 1890, is located at the southeast corner of the Capitol grounds in Austin. It is one of the oldest remaining buildings in the Capitol City. It was designed in December, 1854, by a draftsman in the General Land Office, Professor Do

Here is the story of Texas land. And the story of Texas land is the story of Texas. This history begins with the Spanish in Texas, goes through the period of the Mexican occupation, tells about a courageous people who forced their independence, set up a republic, and ten years later joined the United States. The story of Texas oil development is also pertinent to the history of Texas land. Through the whole account shines the far-sightedness, honesty, and devotion of early Texas leaders. By thei

When Christopher Columbus stepped ashore in the West Indies in October, 1492, he drew the curtain to an immense area of land, some fertile and some desert—land of all types and for all purposes. So vast was this discovery that land-conscious European powers who sponsored New World exploration were soon giving away large areas with a surprising disregard for their value. However, when rival powers disputed their claims to specific territories in the New World, they were quick to argue. The effect

There were four classes of HEADRIGHTS. The first was granted by the delegates who adopted the Constitution of the Republic of Texas in March of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos. It provided that “all persons except Africans and their descendents, and Indians, living in Texas on the day of the Declaration of Independence, are entitled to headright grants, if they be heads of families one league and one labor, and if a single man, 17 years old or older, one-third of a league”. Second Class Headrig

The purpose of Headrights was to encourage settlers to immigrate to Texas. Pre-emptions (or Homesteads) had the same basic objective. Essentially, the Homestead Laws provided that a person who had settled upon a tract of land and who had improved it could claim the land. However, the settler could not claim more than a certain number of acres, and he could not claim the property if someone else had already claimed it. The meaning of PRE-EMPTION becomes clearer with the dictionary definition: “Th

After the Texas Revolution, the Republic of Texas granted its soldiers certificates for 640 acres of land. This was to go to all who were engaged in the Battle of San Jacinto, all who were wounded the day before, all who guarded the army’s baggage near Harrisburg, all who entered Bexar from the morning of the 5th to the 10th of December, 1835, all who took part in the reduction of the fort at Bexar, all who were in action under Colonels Fannin and Ward on March 19, 1836, and to the heirs of thos

Texas rewarded its fighting men again after the Civil War (or War Between the States). Carpetbaggers who were in control of the State government during reconstruction sought to reward men who fought in the Union army “during the late Rebellion”, but no grants of land were made under this act, which was passed on August 21, 1868. When Texans regained control of the State government, they provided that veterans who had been permanently disabled while in Confederate service could receive 1280 acres

The people of Texas have always been interested in better educational systems. Early Texas newspapers reflect this fact. Consequently, land was set aside by the Republic or State at one time or other for the benefit of The University of Texas, county schools, eleemosynary institutions, and public schools. In many cases, this land has been sold, and the systems have benefited from the fund thereby created. By the Act of January 26, 1839, the Congress of the Republic of Texas set aside 50 leagues

There was much agitation in the early Texas press for the development of railroads in Texas. Accordingly, the State began granting lands as early as 1852 in return for the laying of track. On January 30, 1854, general railroad legislation was enacted granting 16 sections of land per mile to companies that would build at least 25 miles of track. In locating their land, railroads were required to locate a like amount for the State. Railroad lands were usually surveyed in tracts of a section each,

On February 20, 1879, the State Legislature set aside 3,050,000 acres of land in West Texas to pay for a new State Capitol building. Interestingly, the act provided for the survey of this land and detailed a force of Rangers to protect the surveyors in their work. The cornerstone of the Capitol was laid on March 2, 1885, and the building was formally dedicated on May 16, 1888. The pink granite which forms the walls of the Capitol came from Granite Mountain near Marble Falls in Burnet County. For

Governments almost always have experienced a need for money to pay debts. Texas the Republic and Texas the State have been no exceptions. An Act of the Congress of the Republic of Texas on December 10, 1836, empowered the President to issue scrip which could be traded for land in Texas. This scrip was to be sold by agents in the United States for not less than 50 cents an acre. Thomas Toby of New Orleans, Louisiana, was the most famous agent, and the land located with scrip he sold is classified

About 48,500,000 acres of the Texas Public Domain have been set aside for public education. This is about one-fourth the area of the state. The State of Texas still has an interest in about 16,000,000 acres, and the Commissioner of the General Land Office has charge of these. This land, which is scattered all over the state, offers leases on oil, gas, sulphur, and other minerals, timber, and grazing. Altogether, this land brings the State nearly $30,000,000 per year in income. This study reveals

1. THE SPANISH ARCHIVES. These archives contain some 4,000 original titles written in Spanish and issued by the Spanish and Mexican authorities when Texas was under their control. In addition, there are approximately 4,000 sets of field notes written in English by American Surveyors during the colonization program initiated by Spain and carried out by Mexico. These documents date as far back as 1745 but mainly encompass the period from 1823 to 1835. See Spanish translator. 2. MAP OF TEXAS SHOWIN

An Act to regulate the running of automobiles and motor vehicles, and the requiring of the owner of such machine to register his name and the number of his machine with the county clerk of the county in which he resides, for the violation of which a penalty is provided. Section 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas: All owners of automobiles or motor vehicles shall before using such vehicles or machines upon the public roads, streets or driveways, register with the county cle

A picture of a picture Little did this group of Sunday drivers realize they were making history one day 56 years ago when they stopped to have their picture taken. But today the original photograph, in the form of a glass plate, is kept on display at the Dallas Historical Society Museum as the first automobile to be licensed in Dallas County. Marvin Bradshaw, Right of Way Agent at Dallas in District 18 of the Texas Highway Department, visited the museum and asked permission to take a picture of