The Dawson journal. (Dawson, Ga.) 1878-18??, 1884-02-28
Joe Browns Town.
BY I. W. AVERY.

1t is getting the fashion to start
towns. The south is especially
doing lively business in this
way. Noble put up Admission, and
a neat job it is. Governor Col
quit has Oxanna on the boards.
Walter Gordon is making a phe-
nomenal successor Sheffield, Kim
ball has projected his suburban
village.
Well, Governor Brown has a
town, and bouncer it is. And /
propose to tell the Constitutions
readers all about it. Like every
thing else that this gentleman
tackles, it's success. What pos
sessed him to go to organizing a
village I am unable to say. He
probably wanted to try his hand on
something that was new and might
battle him. He has tried railroad
ing and coal mining and iron min
ing on a large scale and did them
boomingly. Boards of education
and freight pools and such things
seem mere trifes to him. The
endowments of colleges on a big
scale are bagatelles. His town is
truly rouser. 1t is named Colo
RADIO and fourishing in Texas.
Its history is interesting enough,
characteristic of Governor Brown,
and not devoid of certain flavor
of romance.
Years ago Governor Brown and
several other gentlemen, among
them Colonel Morrill,, Mr.. Julius
Brown, Colonel Grant and others,
subscribed in the aggregate to,
say 100000, in the Texas Pacific
railroad. They got that amount
in stock, and the same amount in
land grant bonds of Texas dirt,
issued by the state of Texas. The
investment at first turned out bad
ly. The venture fell off to moth
ing. The stock tumbled until it
had no market value, and the land
bonds fell to 20 cents on the dol
lar. The road stopped at Fort
Worth. The gentlemen saw their
only escape in successfully locat-
ing good lands of the company,
which they were authorized to pay
for with said bonds. The road
had five millions of acres from
Texas and a General Byrne, ca
pable, honest, Irish engineer, sur
veyed and located them. 1t was
given in alternate sections Of GAO
acres each.
Governor Brown acted with his
usual business sagacity. He sent
for General Byrne and employed
him to select his part of the land,
which amounted to $4,000 acres,
and offered him every fourth sec
ton or 1000 acres. The only con-
dition he imposed on him was that
after the land was all chosen, Gov
ernor Brown was himself to as
sign to General Byrne his lots, go
that every lot was picked with the
chances of it falling to him. Gov
| ernor Brown instructed him also
to choose lots with springs and
streams which are exceedingly
scarce in that country. The sec
ton is rich prairie lacking gen.
orally good water. The water is
usually brackish, but strange to
say, there are scattered over the
prairie occasional cool, clear
springs of pure, sweet, soft water.
General Byrne did his work
we'll. He chose the lands with
care and striking judgement. The
land WAS 200 miles beyond the
railroad terminus and it was de-
sirable to locate the lots on the
line Of the road to be extended. -
General Dodge the surveying en-
gineer of the Texas Pacific, had
| run it 40 miles above the line that
General Byrne thought the line
should go, and would go on a
more careful survey. General
Byrne suggested locating the lots
on the probable and not the sur
veyed route. Governor Brown
told Byrne to follow his Judge
ment and that he would take the
chances. Byrne selected land &C
miles south of Dodge's survey
Byrne's judgement was INDICATED
The road was built on the line he
predicted, and Governor Brown;
| land is all on or near the road al
it was constructed. The lot,
were chosen with admirable Judge
ment and the very cream of The
| ro;lrooJ lopJe CovAo ~ a;,vb.