Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1912 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER ONE. Why Houston Was Founded--When Incorporated--First Mayor of Houston--Various Administrations-- Reconstruction Days -- Huge City Debt--What the Commission Is Doing Today-- Full List of Houston's Mayors. A fact not generally known nor appreciated is that Houston is the result of a disagreement between the Allens and the Harrises. There was no serious quarrel or anything of that sort. They differed about land matters, with the result that the Allens, instead of joining the Harrises in their efforts to build up the already established town of Harrisburg, came five miles by land and about sixteen miles by water further up the bayou, and laid the foundation for the rival town, which was destined to become the greatest city in Texas and one of the greatest in the Southwest. Now, as a matter of fact, there was no good reason for the new town. The location at Harrisburg was ideal and had many advantages, naturally, that Houston had to create artificially. There was, to begin with, sixteen miles of very crooked and hardly navigable bayou to be overcome in order to reach Houston, while the new site had absolutely nothing to compensate for this disadvantage. However, there was an element injected into the controversy that helped the Allens wonderfully in carrying out their scheme. Santa Anna's soldiers showed up just at the critical moment and burned Harrisburg. Before the Harrises could recover from the blow, and while their town still lay in ashes, the Allens acted and not only had their town laid out, but were actively engaged in selling town lots to settlers. Not much progress was made during the first year, however, and there was not much of a city in evidence and scarcely more to indicate where that city was to be, for Governor...
