Seeking Anglo Colonists

[Craig Tx]

From the Texas State Historical Association

Mexican law invites Anglo colonists

On this day in 1825, the Mexican legislature, meeting in Saltillo, passed the State Colonization Law of March 24, 1825. The legislation was designed to bring about the peopling of Coahuila and Texas. It encouraged farming, ranching, and commerce. For a nominal fee, the law granted settlers as much as a square league (4,428.4 acres) of pastureland and a labor (177.1 acres) of farmland. Immigrants were temporarily free of every kind of tax. Newcomers had to take an oath promising to abide by the federal and state constitutions, to worship according to the Christian (i.e., Catholic) religion, and to display sound moral principles and good conduct. After accepting these terms and settling in Texas, immigrants earned the standing of naturalized Mexicans. Empresarios Stephen F. Austin and Green DeWitt, among others, started their colonies under this law.


Craig

[Uncle Russ]

Craig, I have been to Nueva Rosita and Sabinas down in Coahuila, and just for grins and giggles I thought I would add a little personal something to to your post, just to bring that Grant "for a nominal fee" into a little different perspective.
No doubt but what this is a HUGE amount of land, but of course there's lots of land in Tejas and the same can be said for the Mexican state of Coahuila, so there was no need to worry about any kind of shortage of land amongst the early settlers....land was there.

But look at it this way......
The Settlers were granted 1 square league or 4,428.4 acres of pastureland . or, to put it another way, they were granted 6.9 Sections of land....a section being 1 mile x 1 mile square.
Add to that another 177.1 acres of Farmland, and it then becomes apparent that the Mexican Legislature had something else in mind.........they either planned on working the Settlers to death, or it was that "nominal fee" from the very start!

Going into the state of Coahuila in Mexico, is very much like going back into time...even to this day.
Barren desert, which is very similar to the state of Sonora, is ALL there is.
Irrigation projects from the Rio Grande is very slow reaching once you cross the US Border.
Texas has taken advantage of the irrigation with huge fields of Cotton, Soy, Citrus crops and Mixed Vegetables often called "Truck Farmers"....it's not that way on the other side of the River. They barely grow enough to to live on.
In fact, I would guess they are still trying to give that land away for a "nominal fee".

Uncle Russ...

[Craig Tx]

Thanks Russ!

I'll also point out that the Anglo colonies, were all mostly centered around the various rivers.  IIRC, the colony furthest west was Demit's colony around modern Victoria, Goliad and Gonzales.

Alhhough I should mention there was a colony of mainly Irish imigrants in San Patricio, and I believe Refugio.

Craig