Colorado County, Texas
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Surnames/tags: colorado_county us_history Texas
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Welcome to Colorado County, Texas Project!
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Formed From
Colorado County was one of the original counties of the Republic of Texas, was formed from Texas Colony. It was organized April, 1837.
History/Timeline
- Karankawa tribe hunted through the area. Tonkawa Indians moved up into this area from the south.
- 1689 - 4th trip of Alonso De León crossed the county trying to find Fort St. Louis. [1]
- 1718 -Martín de Alarcón crossed thee area on his way to La Bahía del Espíritu Santo.[1]
- 1766, 67, Marqués de Rubí crossed Colorado near the site of present Columbus on his tour of inspection of East Texas.[1]
- 1821 territory that is now Colorado County was settled by Anglo colonists, many of whom belonged to Stephen F. Austin's Old Three Hundred A number of families settled near Beeson's Ford, several miles south of the site of present Columbus.
- Nov., 1822 the settlers near the Colorado River in future Colorado and Wharton counties were authorized by the Mexican government to elect an alcalde.
- 1823 skirmish was fought between a militia company from the settlement and a band of Cocos along Skull Creek. [1]
- 1824-1825 -61 people were granted land by the Mexican Government in future Colorado County.[1]
- 1835 - Columbus grew up at the site of Dewees Crossing, five miles N of Beeson's Ford.[1]
- March , 1836 - When Sam Houston's army retreated from Gonzales after the battle of the Alamo, the army made camp along the E bank of the Colorado River in Colorado County. [1]
- March 1836 - The Mexican army camped about 2 miles W of the river. Both armies stayed 7-8 days. [1]Maybe they were resting......
- March 25, 1836 - More Mexican troops under Antonio López de Santa Anna arrived thus Houston ordered further retreat.
- March and April, 1836 - During the Runaway Scrape 100's of settlers crossed at Benjamin Beeson's Ford. [1] (He should have installed a toll booth)!!
- 1836 - Colorado County was one of the original counties of the Republic of Texas, was formed from Texas Colony. It was organized April, 1837.[1]
- April, 1837 first district court being held by Robert McAlpin Williamson at Columbus, the county seat. [1]
- 1839 A German settlement was in Frelsburg.[1]
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- 1839 - Robert Robson of Dumfries, Scotland immigrated and built a concrete castle made of lime and gravel on the South side of the Colorado river. This had a moat and drawbridge. This was a center for county social life.. [1]
- 1840 there were 249 heads of families and 319 slaves in the county.[1]
- 1844 - first German university in the state, Hermann University was chartered and begun.. [1]
- 1846-46- Men from Colorado County made up most of Company E, First Texas Mounted Riflemen, during the Mexican War. [1]
- 1840s Moccasin Belle and other steamboats transported carried cotton and goods from the county to Matagorda. Colorado County depended on the river for the transportation of both crops, supplies, and people. traffic was heavy until the Colorado became too blocked. . Railroads displaced river navigation after the Civil War.[1]
- 1850's: Osage and Oakland were formed. Eagle Lake and Alleyton, grew up on the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railway. [1]For a time Alleyton flourished as an important cotton-shipping point. The population here was 2,257 including 644 slaves. Corn, cotton, and tobacco were the primary crops.
- 1856 An attempted slave insurrections in Texas occurred, according to local reports , 400 slaves plotted to arm themselves and fight their way to Mexico, but before they could act, a slave gave the plot away, and several slaves were executed by hanging or by being whipped to death.[1]
- 1860 County population was 7,885 (3,559 African Americans) This was a plantation economy based on cotton. [1]
- 1860 - 14 Colorado county men had fortunes of $100,000 each in 1860. That year the county had 397 farms, many of them small establishments that existed beside of the great plantations. ::Slaveowning was widespread; there were 306 slaveholders in the county (160 of these held fewer than 5 slaves. (12 had 50 or more slaves) and (4 had more than 100 slaves).[1]
- 1860 County voted in favor of secession 584 to 330. German settlers were opposed to leaving the Union, and predominantly German town of Frelsburg voted against the secession proposal 154 to 22. [1]Most of the Anglo settlers in the county favored secession.
- Dec, 1860 - 3 "castles" of the Knights of the Golden Circle had been formed in Colorado County. This had an objective to annex areas slave territories or states such as Mexico, Central America, Confederate States of America and the Caribbean. [2]
- 1836 1st courthouse was in 1836. In the Runaway Scrape, General Houston burned Columbus and Velasco so the Mexican army would not be able to burn it or loot it. Thus the first courthouse may not have been much to see.[3]
- 1847 2nd courthouse was supposed to be built of pine harvested in Bastrop and floated down the Colorado. The height of the river water and the speed of flow sent the wood floating completely past Columbus, before they could reach out and grab the logs.[3]
- 1855 3rd Courthouse: was built 1855. No image This may have been the courthouse to be built of Bastrop pine...[3]
- 1891 4th Courthouse for Colorado county is a Eugene Heiner design of classic revival style. This building--erected in 1890-1891 in form of a Greek cross--is now one of 28 oldest existing courthouses in Texas' 254 counties. It still looks good. The masonic lodge laid the cornerstone for this building composed of brick and Belton stone. It originally had a bell cupola-clock tower.[3]
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| 1891 Courthouse with the bell tower before tornado |
Note:1909 a tornado severely damaged the building, but it did not fall!!. The bell in cupola-clock tower fell 120 feet and was buried in the earth. Thus the job of the $15-a-month job of clock-winder was canceled. During repairs, a present copper dome was added. [3]
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| 1891 Courthouse without tower, with dome and restored.. |
In 1939 entire building was remodeled. a Texas Landmark. In 2011 the courthouse exterior was restored Restoration of the colors of woodwork, brick, trim and dome cleaning were done as well as removal of an addition.. A grant awarded to the county in January 2012 will go to more restoration work on the interior." - Terry Jeanson, January 2012 The interior looks the same, basically, but the walls in the main hallways and the courtroom have been painted green. They restored all the woodwork and overhauled the electricity and plumbing. [3]
Geography
- Colorado county is 60 miles north of Gulf of Mexico in south central Texas.
- Shape: rectangular in shape except for a small strip extending to the southwest.
- Latitude/Longitude: center point 29°38' north latitude and 96°32' west longitude.
- Named for: Colorado River, which bisects it northwest to southeast.
- County Seat- Columbus
- Size: 964 square miles
- Land- level to rolling land
- Elevations 150 to 425 feet above sea level.
- Annual rainfal -forty-one inches.
- Temperature minimum temperature in January is 41° F July is 96°.
- Growing season -280 days.
- Farmland - 11 to 20 percent of the land is considered prime farmland.
- Soil sections: light-colored soils with clayey - SW and NE
- Poorly drained soils with cracking, clayey subsoils - the Colorado River
- Loamy soils with cracking, clayey subsoils -center.
- Trees: - Blackland Prairie area, supports elm, oak, pecan, and mesquite trees along streams.
- Remainder area- post oak savanna, blackjack oak, and elm, with walnuts and pecans along streams.[4]
Adjacent counties
- Austin County (northeast)
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| Colorado county in Texas. |
- Wharton County (southeast)
- Jackson County (south)
- Lavaca County (southwest)
- Fayette County (northwest)
Protected areas
- Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge
- http://texasalmanac.com/topics/government/colorado-county
Demographics
2000, there were 20,390 people, 7,641 households, and 5,402 families in the county. The population density was 21 people per square mile. The racial breakdown:72.79% White, 14.80% Black and 19.74% of the population were Hispanic
16.20% of the population were below the poverty line, and 15.80% of those age 65 or over.
Europeans entered Colorado County in the mid 1800's. In 1870 there were 776 Germans in Colorado County, and 1,328 by 1880. 207 Austrians, and Czechoslovakia as well. White population grew with these immigrants and African Americans declined to 43% of the whole population by 2900.. Crops were rice (introduced 1898), sugarcane, with a sugar refinery opened in Lakeside 1901, cotton, corn. Of all land farmed, cotton and corn were the most important crops. Rice increased in 1950. Dairy farming and creameries by 1913.
Farm tenancy changed with the cotton market. Tenant farming was dominant in 1900m. 1900 59% white farmers owned their land and 21% black farmers were owners. Tenant farming did increase in the 1930's (Great Depression) when it was 60% of the 2,589 farms.
Churches
- 1980 Colorado County supported forty-six churches, with Catholic, Southern Baptist, and United Methodist as the largest communions.
Politics:
After 1865 - reconstruction there was enforced republican,
- 1890's on Democrat
- 1952 - Eisenhower and again Republican
20,719 people were living in Colorado County. About 58.3 percent were Anglo, 27.9 percent were Hispanic, and 13.3 percent were African American. More than 69 percent of residents age twenty-five and older had four years of high school, and more than 14 percent had college degrees.
Highways:
- I-10 Interstate 10
- U.S. Highway 90
- Texas State Highway 71
Town
- Columbus (county seat)
Resources
- Colorado County People Biographies
- Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge
Census
- 1850 -- 2,257 —
- 1860 -- 7,885 249.4%
- 1870 -- 8,326 5.6%
- 1880 -- 16,673 100.3%
- 1890 -- 19,512 17.0%
- 1900 -- 22,203 13.8%
- 1910 -- 18,897 −14.9%
- 1920 -- 19,013 0.6%
- 1930 -- 19,129 0.6%
- 1940 -- 17,812 −6.9%
- 1950 -- 17,576 −1.3%
- 1960 -- 18,463 5.0%
- 1970 -- 17,638 −4.5%
- 1980 -- 18,823 6.7%
- 1990 -- 18,383 −2.3%
- 2000 -- 20,390 10.9%
- 2010 -- 20,874 2.4%
- Est. 2015 -- 20,870
Notables
- Hubbard, Green Kirk; born: 1786; died: 1876; cem: Old Osage Cemetery, Veteran of the War of 1812; listed on Osage Memorial Urn in Weimar Masonic Cemetery
- Jones, Augustus; b: Feb 17, 1796; d: Feb 14, 1887; cem: Columbus City
Son of John Rice and Mary (Barger) Jones, veteran of the War of 1812 and the Mexican War
- Montogomery, James Steen; b: May 1, 1788; d: May 5, 1863, Veteran of the War of 1812,
fought in a unit from Mississippi; cem: Montgomery-Thatche
- Tanner, John Osborn; born: Jul 29, 1793; d: Aug 20, 1875; cem: Tanner,veteran of the War of 1812
- Clapp, Eli Allison; born: 1814; died: Nov 1, 1884; cem: Pleasant Grove, Veteran of San Jacinto
- Borden, John Pettit; b: Dec 30, 1812; d: Nov 12, 1891; cem: Weimar Odd Fellows, San Jacinto veteran
- Ijams, Basil Gaither; born: Dec 18, 1803; died: Oct 4, 1876; cem: Pleasant Grove
Son of Vachel and Martha (Cunningham) Ijams, veteran of the Texas Revolution
- Scates, William Bennett; 27 Jun 1802; 22 Feb 1882; originally buried in Osage Cemetery. b Halifax Co, VA; son of Joseph W. and Elizabeth Eggleston (Bennett) Scates; came to Texas in 1832; signer of Texas Declaration of Independence, fought at San Jacinto . Body was exhumed and re-interred 15 Sep 1929 at Austin State Cemetery
Civil War
list - Confederates, Colorado County
- Benjamin Marshall Baker,Sgt in Company B, 5th Texas Infantry
- Richard V. Cook, Capt. Co. D, 21st Texas Infantry, and the Battle of Sabine Pass
- Holman D. Donald Pvt in Company A, 5th Texas Cavalry
- Basil Gaither Ijams Pvt, Co. C, 13th Texas Inf.
- George Millan McCormick, Sgt Co. D, Waul's Texas Legion
- Pvt Benjamin F. Mitchell, Co. D, 21st Texas Inf., 3rd Company A, 13th Texas Inf.
- James T. Pettus, Sgt Co. F, 8th Texas Cavalry (Terry's Texas Rangers); images of some diary pages
- John Daniel Roberdeau,Capt. Company B, 5th Texas Infantry, and Second Battle of Manses
- John Samuel Shropshire,Major, 5th Texas Cavalry
- World War I: World war I
- World War 2: List of World war 2 Colorado county deaths
- Korea - Colorado deaths, Korea
- Vietnam-phttp://www.coloradocountyhistory.org/military/Vietnamdeaths.htm Colorado county deaths Vietnam]
Land Grants
- 1824-1825 -61 people were granted land by the Mexican Government in future Colorado County.
Cemeteries
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- Odd Fellows Rest Cemetery
- Lakeside Cemetery
- Weimar Masonic Cemetery
- Ijams Cemetery
- Live Oak Cemetery
- FindaGrave cemeteries of Colorado County
- Colorado county Cemeteries Gloria Mayfield
- Cemeteries colorado County, Nesbitt Library
- African American Cemeteries Central Texas
Sources
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21
- ↑
- Knights of the Golden Circle was classed as a semi-military secret society in Midwestern states during the Civil War.
- 1861-1865 - Men from the county served in several miiitary unit and the Fifth Texas Cavalry and the Fifth, Thirteenth, and Seventeenth Texas Infantry regiments. Although there was no actual fighting in the county, the war destroyed the county economy. <ref></ref>
- The extent to which Colorado County had been dependent on slavery is shown by the drop in value of Colorado county farms value which dropped from $3,066,070 in 1860 to $493,890. ""Overall farm property fell by five-sixths. <ref></ref>
- June, 1865-1870 - Columbus was occupied by federal troops for Reconstruction <ref></ref>
- 1867 - C. C. Herbert, a prominent planter and legislator, was murdered. <ref></ref>
- 1867-1900 Railroads entered the county. with the Columbus Tap Railway from Columbus to Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and the Colorado Meanwhile, further development of the railway network invigorated the economy. was linked to San Antonio. <ref></ref>
- Late 1860's Colorado and Fayette county men formed organization similar to the Ku Klux Klan, composed of a nucleus of Confederate veterans, and was active in the county.<ref></ref>
- 1870s Several African Americans from Colorado County held state and county office during and after Reconstruction: Isaac Yates, state representative B. F. Williams, and county commissioner Cicero Howard. <ref></ref>:1873- Lawless Colorado County whites tried to intimidate the black voters by killing 2 freedmen.
- 1870-s thru 1880's -African Americans continued to hold county offices and elected a 2nd legislator, Robert Lloyd Smith 1894,
- 1880s Population doubled reaching 16,673 in 1880, 22,203 in 1900. <ref></ref>
- 1890-1900's - Three local families, Staffords, Townsends, and Reeses, were involved in murderous incidents,Colorado County Feud. <ref></ref>
- 1894 -The formation of the White Man's Reformation Association.<ref></ref>
- 1896 - 3,990 voters - 1904 - voters declined to 1,518. <ref></ref>
- 1900 -1950s the county remained solidly Democratic. <ref></ref>
- 1902 - White Man's party restricted the African American vote in primaries. The poll tax led to the disfranchisement of black voters <ref></ref>
- 1952When Republican Dwight Eisenhower carried the county, Colorado County began to trend more strongly Republican. Subsequently, local voters supported Republican presidential candidates in 1956, 1968, and 1972, and from 1980 through 2004.
Government Offices
Marker location: Courthouse Square, Columbus
- Marker Text:
- Beneath this tree the first Court of the Third Judicial District of The Republic of Texas was held April, 1837 by Judge Robert M. Williamson ("Three Legged Willie").
Colorado County has had a total of 4 courthouses: 1836, 1847, 1855 and 1891.<ref>http://www.texasescapes.com/TOWNS/ColumbusTexas/ColoradoCountyCourthouseColumbusTexas.htm</li> <li id="_note-courthouse">↑ <sup>[[#_ref-courthouse_0|3.0]]</sup> <sup>[[#_ref-courthouse_1|3.1]]</sup> <sup>[[#_ref-courthouse_2|3.2]]</sup> <sup>[[#_ref-courthouse_3|3.3]]</sup> <sup>[[#_ref-courthouse_4|3.4]]</sup> <sup>[[#_ref-courthouse_5|3.5]]</sup> </li>
<li id="_note-1">[[#_ref-1|↑]] https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcc18</li></ol></ref>
- Texas Almanac
- schools, cemeteries, TxGen
- http://www.co.colorado.tx.us/default.aspx?Colorado_County/CountyCourt
- http://www.co.colorado.tx.us
- "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
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