The Heritage of North Harris County Page: 14

                                
The First Austin Colony

In mid-1823 Stephen Austin returned from Mexico
City with his contract to settle 300 colonists in Texas in the
vicinity of the Colorado and Brazos valleys. San Felipe de

Austin became his seat
unofficial capital of all the
Anglo colonies. (Located
at the Atascosito Crossing
of the Brazos River, the
site is now part of Stephen
F. Austin State Park.)
Austin was empow-
ered to grant each married
man one league of land
(4,428 acres) for cattle
ranching, and merely one
labor of land (177 acres)
for farming.     The
preferential treatment for
ranchers inspired planters
from the Old South to pro-

of government and later the

THE MEXICAN FLAG
(1821-1836)
Mexico's independence from Spain
meant Texans became Mexican
subjects

fess a sudden interest in cattlel Single men were entitled
to one-fourth league, but Austin allowed two bachelors to
locate as a "family," granting them their full league-and-

EARLY TEXAS
LAND
MEASUREMENTS
5000 varas =
1 linear league '
(/egua) =
2% miles

I- 1000
1,' varas
*

The vara (331/2") unit of measurement, known only in Texas, was established by
Stephen F. Austin's surveyors.

14

1 league (sitio)    _
4,428 acres
1--
I           iabor
*  I            l7acrg

J