|
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Any student of Texas history recognizes the term “Old Three Hundred” as referring to the original settlers who received Mexican land grants in 1824
in Stephen F. Austin
’s first Texian colony.
The lands selected by the colonists were located along the rich bottomlands of the Brazos, Colorado and San Bernard rivers, extending
from the vicinity of present-day Brenham, Navasota and LaGrange to the Gulf of
Mexico. Each ranching family was granted one sitio or about 4,428 acres.
(Farming families received one labor, approximately 177 acres.) Each sitio was
to have a frontage on the river equal to about one-fourth its length, thus the
east bank of the Brazos was soon completely occupied from the Gulf to what is
now Brazos county.
A good portion of that land was located in modern-day Waller County, the
northernmost of the three counties that cradle the city of Katy. The area that
is now Waller County was originally part of the Municipality of Washington
under Mexican rule, then became part of Washington County and then Austin
County.
Before settlement, large herds of mustangs and wild cattle roamed the area. Deer
and prairie chickens were also abundant. The Bidai Indians used the area for
hunting and fishing. The first settlers found the land to be bountifully
stocked with fish and game, but they also discovered that the fertile soil was
excellent for planting cotton, soybeans, corn, hay and rice. Later,
watermelons, peaches and pecans were added. But the majority of the area
’s agricultural income came from livestock, primarily cattle, sheep and hogs.
|
As the 19th century progressed, some of the original settlers died or moved off
and the land came up for sale. For the next two centuries, ranch land in the
area was dominated by three main families
—the Houses, the Hegars and the Warrens.
John Warren moved to Texas from England in 1853. In 1857, he opened a restaurant
and boarding house in Hockley. In the 1890s, Warren purchased 8,500 acres of
rich farm and ranch land along the Brazos. His descendants still live on the
land, retaining about 6,500 acres of the original property.
Today, John Warren’s great grandson Jim, the ranch manager, is trying to restore the land to its
original state by encouraging the return of native plants and wildlife.
The land—located in the center of the Katy Prairie—is an ecologically diverse habitat for migrating birds and many endangered
plants and wildlife. A partnership with the Katy Prairie Conservancy in 2003
opened portions of the ranch to bird-watchers and other naturalists.
Warren still runs cattle on the ranch, and his sister and her son still live on
the property. But, younger generations of Warrens have moved to urban areas and
do not want to return to the ranch. The agreement with the KPC ensures that the
land will remain a vital part of the Katy Prairie preserve.
Some day, Katy residents may again be able to see the tall prairie grasses, the
prairie chickens and other native flora and fauna that the state
’s first settlers found so inviting 200 years ago.
|
