Whether
you were seeking "The Promised Land" or were just curious about "The Great Space
of Land Unknown," travelers listened to the land promoters and read the newspapers
as they sought a better life for themselves and their families.
No doubt
many were dedicated to seeking a better life and fortune for their families as
they broached the Great Unknown. However, many were merely struck with wanderlust,
bored with their drab, harsh lives and responsibilities. Like the earlier Gold
Strike Days in California or the later Great Land Run in Oklahoma, they were easily
lured with vague promises of a pot at the end of the rainbow. When they left,
the excuse was left written somewhere ... GTT.
This pattern of wanderlust
is not surprising. Talk to almost any newcomer to Texas
and you will learn they wandered into our State much by chance.
Early
settlement of Texas was slowed by the continued threat
of Indian attack. Most early settlers found homes along the coast and river banks
near the Gulf. As their offspring matured, learned to live off the land, acquired
adequate weapons and finances the settled areas grew by leaps and bounds. There
was no holding back the tides of settlers seeking a new home.
A study
of the maps in the book always shows the actual coastline accurately as the ships
plied their trades. When the maps started inland, it was a different story. Details
and trails were few and far between. Only after serious settlement and land owners
desired distinct land boundaries and clear titles did the inland mapping improve.
At one time a traveler could start at the Gulf and travel clear into the Colorado
mountains and never be out of Texas. The process
of finalizing the Texas boundaries of today requires
hours of reading just to understand. No wonder our State is so unique.
When
I try to imagine living in that time, deciding to make a journey to new lands
in hope of finding a new beginning for my family, laying down my chopping hoe
and plow, saddling my favorite horse and heading for Texas,
I can feel a little of that excitement as I scratch the initials of GTT on my
barn door and wave goodbye.
© Delbert Trew
"It's All Trew" March 17, 2008 Column
E-mail: trewblue@centramedia.net.
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