The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 80, July 1976 - April, 1977 Page: 178
492 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Southwestern Historical Quarterly
sters to have to camp by a creek for several weeks without being able
to go on.
Friday, June 8
Yesterday evening the other travel companions arrived in New Braunfels.
The Bading brothers, Anwandter, and Hermann"T had suffered much from
the continuous rain. They put on long faces when they saw the city that
had been glorified so much. I moved to town and have my meals with the
family of my teamster, but I sleep in the garden. My colleagues, however,
moved into an empty house because the mosquitoes are so bad. Empty
houses are no rarity in Texas.
Toward evening I went on horseback to see Mr. Klappenbach, the
former mayor of Anclam.38 He lives about one-half mile from town in a
roughly built, one-story, limestone house, but one-half of it is completely
finished and has a shingle roof on it. The furniture is still very primitive,
and the kitchen is in a wooden shed.
His property, consisting of fifty acres, makes a picturesque scene around
the springs of Comal Creek. Mr. Klappenbach works diligently on his
farm, but his strong wife takes care of the rest of the work. Washing the
clothes, tending the cows, and preparing the food leave her very little
leisure time. He has been in Texas for three years. During the first year he
was the New Braunfels director of the Mainz Society. Two of his sons also
are farmers. A few days ago he shot two panthers that his wife encountered
on the way to the garden. In the yard I found a young rattlesnake they
had killed in the kitchen after it had leaped on his wife's shoulder. There
are legions of ants here. Nowhere except in tightly closed cupboards can
people keep food without its falling prey to the ants.
Toward evening we went bathing in Comal Creek. It is a splendid
stream, and one of its springs flows a strong stream. The water is so clear
that you can see every detail at a depth of fifteen to twenty feet. Many
fish are swimming back and forth. We also encountered one of the most
poisonous snakes here, the moccasin. It is short, black on top, and red un-
der its belly. After our swim we rode over to Comal Town, one-quarter-
37E. Herrmann, the man mentioned here, was one of the official delegates who came
to Texas with Steinert (see note 2). He stayed in New Braunfels when Steinert left
(see August 8 entry), but he is not listed in the 1850 census of Comal County. Haas,
New Braunfels, 246-26I.
38Georg Klappenbach was not only the former mayor of Anclam (Anklam), now in
East Germany, not far from Stettin, now in Poland; but he also became mayor of New
Braunfels after coming to Texas. Samuel Wood Geiser, Naturalists of the Frontier
(Dallas, 1937), Io9; Geue, New Land, iii; Biesele, German Settlements, 168. Haas,
New Braunfels, 50, lists Klappenbach as one of the founding colonists of New Braunfels.178
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 80, July 1976 - April, 1977, periodical, 1976/1977; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101204/m1/210/?rotate=90: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.