Nesbitt Memorial Library Journal, Volume 4, Number 1, January 1994 Page: 25
46 p. : ill., ports. ; 28 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:
Brief History of Columbus
his property back, plus $500 (see Robert Robson v. Robert H. Tobin,
Cause File 1763, Office of the District Clerk, Colorado County, Texas,
and Deed Book L, pages 74-77, Office of the County Clerk, Colorado
County).
No contemporaneous description of the layout of the castle, of
its moat, drawbridge, or wondrous plumbing system, of religious
services held in it, of its ruin by the 1869 flood, or of its demolition has
been found. It should be noted, however, that the 1869 flood that
Zumwalt says undermined the castle occurred in July, and the aforemen-
tioned conveyance of the castle to William Robson was executed three
months later. The next time the property was conveyed, by William
Robson's widow, Mary Ann, to Friench Simpson on August 3, 1883, the
castle was gone (see Deed Book Z, page 441, Office of the County Clerk,
Colorado County, Texas, in which the property is described as "the block
on which was situated the old Robson Castle"). The property on which
the castle sat was bounded on three sides by city streets and on the
fourth by the river. It did not amount to anything like fifty acres.
Zumwalt's perception that Robson received remittances regu-
larly except during the Civil War may have been based on a law passed
by the state legislature for his relief on May 24, 1864. This law,
however, quite explicitly states that Robson was without means of
support because Tobin had defaulted on his debt but retained possession
of Robson's property (see The Laws of Texas 1822-1897, volume 5,
page 795).
Several plants, all of which are now classified as native plants,
are commonly referred to as Huisache. Neither the standard reference
on such plants, Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southwest by
Robert A. Vines (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1960), nor the
newer, authoritative books, How To Grow Native Plants of Texas and
the Southwest by Jill Nokes (Austin: Texas Monthly Press, 1986) and
Texas Range Plants by Stephan L. Hatch and Jennifer Pluhar (College
Station: Texas A & M University Press, 1993), make any reference to
Robson, whom, presumably, Zumwalt meant by "Robinson."
Several steamboats traversed the Colorado River in the 1840s
and 1850s. Perhaps the earliest was the Kate Ward, which worked the
river in 1846 and 1847 (see Galveston Evening News, March 3, 1846,
and Democratic Telegraph and Texas Register, December 7, 1846, and
May 10, 1 847). A second steamer, the Colorado, was on the river in
1851 (see Texas State Gazette, April 12, 1851). Less reliable reports
have it that boats named the Betty Powell, the Moccasin Belle, and the
Lareno were on the river between 1853 and 1860 (see Comer Clay, "The
Colorado River Raft," Southwestern Historical Quarterly, volume 52,
number 4, April 1949, page 423). The anchor and bell of the Moccasin
Belle were salvaged by Charles William Tait. Eventually, at Zumwalt's25
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.
Matching Search Results
View 30 pages within this issue that match your search.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.
Nesbitt Memorial Library. Nesbitt Memorial Library Journal, Volume 4, Number 1, January 1994, periodical, January 1994; Columbus, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth151390/m1/25/?q=nesbitt+memorial+library+journal: accessed June 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Nesbitt Memorial Library.