My Time in Austin’s Colony

Arrival

The main reason my family and I came to settle in Austin’s

Colony is because of the Financial Panic in 1819. We

arrived in the Lively, and qualified because we were

honest, law-abiding citizens, hard working, willing to

become Mexican citizens, and willing to convert to

Catholicism. We had no gamblers, no profane swearers,

no drunkards, and no idlers in our family.

Arrival

We got 1,520 acres of land, which was very cheap. Our

yearly land payment appeared to be $60.8. The trip west

was hard but pretty fun for us because we got to see

new things. Our remaining investment money was

$939.2 after we had paid our yearly land payment.

1822

In 1822 we bought 50 acres of cotton, 50 acres of lumber,

and 30 acres of cattle. There was a harsh winter, it was

freezing cold. It was so cold we probably had gotten

frostbite during the winter. Most of our cattle died.

1822

Building was in process, so everyone came home tired.

We would go right to sleep when we got home

because we were so tired. There was a very high

demand for lumber and the Lively was late arriving.

Our remaining investment money was $139.2by the

end of the year. Also our bank balance was $1,439.2.

This is a picture of our house that we built

ourselves!

1823

During the year 1823 the Lively sank near

Galveston. We decided to buy 60 acres of

cotton, 60 acres of lumber, and 40 acres of

cattle. There was a dispute with Mexicans

over export of cotton. This year was great for

cattle!

1823

The winter was mild, which was a big change from last year

since the winter was much more harsh. Not a big

demand for lumber, so there wasn’t much building so we

could rest more. Our current remaining investment

money was $378.4.

1824

1824 was mostly made up of building. This year was very

tiring. We bought 100 acres of cotton, 100 acres of

lumber, and 50 acres of cattle. We bought a lot more

acres than we usually do which cost a total of $1,500.

This is a picture of some neighbors building too!

1842

The colony thrived, and there was a high demand for lumber

which meant building. We had a high demand for beef. There

was a bumper cotton crop. Our current remaining investment

money was $317.6.

My Town

By the end of those 3 years we still had money. Our final

profit was $2,600. We had a great time working, building,

and other things. It was a whole adventure for us. The

town we chose was San Felipe which was good because

we earned $600 out of what happened!

My Conclusion

Even though we had a great time, we still faced problems. Some of the problems included Indian attacks, the Lively sank which caused less food for us. We were starved at some points, since there wasn’t much food. Obviously we managed to handle it ourselves so we decided to stay.

Resources

• The Parker Cabin. N.d. Photograph. log cabin village

• Cattle in Snow. 2005. Photograph. Image Envision

• The Shaw Cabin and Gristmill. N.d. Photograph. Log Cabin Village

• Down to the Sea. N.d. Photograph. The Past Whispers

• Try Again. N.d. Photograph. The Past Whispers

• Haywood Mike. The Wind Freshens. N.d. Photograph. The Past Whispers

• Griffin Peter. Afternoon Siesta. 2007. Photograph. Public Domain Pictures

• Kratochvil Petr. Wooden Chips. 2007. Photograph. Public Domain Pictures

• San Felipe. N.d. Photograph. Wikimedia Commons

• The Marine School. N.d. Photograph. Log Cabin Village