San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-09-07

HAYS COUNTY, TEXAS.
A Truthful Pcn.P0rlralG
BY THE EDITOR OF THE FREE PRESS
The article descriptive of Hays
County which we formerly hublished
being out Of print, to meet . general
demand, We propose preparing another
with revisions and additions. We
shall supplement the best and most
authentic information we can obtain
by:our own observations during
over five years pasa, andshall makeit
point net to indulge in the exaggers-
tions, pro or con, so common to writer's
concerniug new regions of country.
We believe great wrong has been
done by unscrupulous and interested
parties giving false ideas of Texas
wrong to people who have been led to
come to the State by such misrepre-
senta tions, and wrong also to the State,
which has sufficient merits to induce
immigration without resorting, to false
preteuses.
HISTORICAL SKETCH.
The history of Hays county natural.
ly begins with that Of San Marcos.
The bursting forth of the river, full
formed, from the foot of mountain
near by, and its peerless beauty and
purity conspired to make the spot
marked one by nature. According to
a writer in Scribner's Mdgizine for
January, 1874, as early as 1929 the
Right Reverend Fathers, forming the
College of Santa Cruz Of Queretaro,
were authorized to found three mis-
sioas on the San Marcos, but the or.
der was afterwards rescindcd in favor
of San Antonio; but for which San
Marcos, instead of the Alamo City,
might have been the metropolis Of
Western Texas.
A place thus remarkable, of course
was destined to becoma,the site Of an
Anglo American town, A DR.. Merri-
man appears to have been the first
settler, in the fall of 1916, but others
may contest the claim. For instance
we are told that William Moon, who
still resides in this county, built the
first house in San Marcos, aad it is
still pointed out to the curious observ-
er. #. G. McGehee, we believe, is
conceded to have been the first set
tier of the immediate vicinity, at the
place where he still resides, few
miles down the river.
Hays county was organized 10 l84S,
through the instrumentality Of Gener.
al Burleson, then member Of the
State Senate, and was named in hon.
or of Col. Jack Hays, the noted Tex
as Ranger. Prior to that date it was
part of Travis and Bastrop counties.
The Antonio Veremendi League was
purchased by Gen. Burleson and Viii.
liam Lindsey, and $40 acres appropri-
ated for a.town site. They paid for it
partly in cash and partly in cattle.
Each settler aeceivedia building lot
free. Henry Mccullough was station
ed here with company of rangers,
and log house. used as commissary |
and bar SOON in tent,
constituted the settlement up to April
1847. The first election was held iu
l84S.
The years 1857. '59 and SO we're
seasons of terrible drought, particular
ly the first named, when there was a
tosal failure of crops. The war soon
followed. continuing the period Of dis
tress. Afterwards for some years there
was little immigration or progress.
Tho first awakening was caused by the
enterprise of Prof. Hollingsworth in
causing to be, erected a large stone
building on a commanding site, called
Coronal Institute. and starting q sue
cessful high school in it. This induced
persons to come and settle in the
town. From that time to about 1874
the course Of San Marcos was onward,
till from a small hamlet ofa few hun
dred Inhabitants. the population has
reached 1900 to 1900, that OF the coun-
nnA Il