During the 1820s-1830s, the population of Texas surged as settlers arrived from Europe, Mexico, and the United States. Most early settlers were farmers from the US, drawn by cheap land and easy payment terms. Many US settlers were escaping debts or legal troubles. By 1834, the population was estimated at 21,000, with 15,000 from the US of mostly English, Irish, or Scottish descent. Settlers traveled to Texas by wagon train, horseback, walking, water, or flatboat, and usually settled along rivers due to fertile soil and mild climate.

1. Chapter 9: Life in Early Texas
Section 1: Texas Fever

2. Gone to Texas
• During the 1820s-30s the
population of Texas surged
• Some settlers from
Europe and other parts of
Mexico

3. Gone to Texas
•Most early settlers
in Texas were
farmers from the
United States.

4. Gone to Texas
• Pull factors:
–Cheap land
–Easy payments

5. Gone to Texas
• Push factors:
– Debts from the Panic of 1819 and
resulting depression
– Inability of U.S. officials to
collect debts or get fugitives in
Texas

6. Gone to Texas
• Word spreads
that Texas is a
place filled with
outlaws and
undesirable
people

7. Gone to Texas
G.T.T.
• Gone to Texas—a phrase
that often meant that
someone disappeared

8. The People of Texas
• By 1834 a Mexican official estimated
that Texas population was 21,000:
• 15,000 from the U.S.—most were
English, Irish, or Scottish ancestry
• Squatters: people who do not legally own
the land on which they live

9. The People of Texas
• 1834: Tejano population was about
4,000
• Most lived around Nacogdoches or
San Antonio
• Most Tejanos welcome Americans—
saw them as a boost to economy and
protection against Indians

10. The People of Texas
• Europeans: primarily of British,
German, French, or Italian
background
• African Americans
– 2000 slave
– 150 free

11. Getting to Texas and Choosing Land
• 1835: an estimated 1,000 settlers
entering Texas each month
• Coming to Texas:
– Wagon trains
– Horseback
– Walked
– Water

12. Getting to Texas and Choosing Land
• Flatboats—means of
transportation for many settlers

13. Getting to Texas and Choosing Land
• Usually settled around rivers and
streams
• Fertile soil and mild climate
attracted many U.S. settlers to the
Gulf Coast Plain and Piney Woods
• Avoided Apache & Comanche lands

14. Why U.S. Setters Came: How They Traveled:
G. T. T.