I moved to this county in 2006; never had I such a curiosity for a particular location. I’d always been surrounded by history and I was quite astute to history in the places I had lived, traveled or hoped to one day visit. However once you find yourself surrounded by history — down the rabbit hole you go.
Years later I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing numerous locals, historians and people such as myself, simply in search of knowing more about the people that walked the very same soil hundreds of years ago. Recently I’ve taken a fondness to reading books which can tell me more about the coast as it was a century ago. Often times these are reference books I can’t take out of the confines of the library. However my luck was about to change…
There I was buried behind a pile of new (to me) reference books. I skimmed their pages, reading about the Texas coast and then came to a section about the first (Calhoun) county government meeting held on September 22, 1846. That was all it took for the rest of the noise in the library to cease and other tasks I should have completed that day to be quickly forgotten by the tidbit of history I had just unearthed.
I read on for several pages and no other mention was said of our county or any establishments thereof. Disappointed I turned back to the section about the meeting and noticed a footnote. I scribbled the reference on a piece of paper I had tore off of my notepad and searched the library system for the book. It took me a bit, but I found the book they were referring to, Reminiscences of Fifty Years in Texas by John Joseph Linn. The book was published and copyrighted in 1883 and reproduced in 1935. It covers Linn’s memoirs from the early 1800s. AND it wasn’t a reference book; I could check it out and take it home with me!
John Linn was born on June 19, 1798 in Antrim, Ireland however immigrated to New York City two years later with his family. It took them two months to arrive in NYC and their family resided in the area for numerous years. It was not until July of 1829 that Linn aboard a friend’s schooner arrived via Corpus Christi Bay to sell tobacco to Mexico. While that journey did not go well for him; he did find his new home — Texas.
Following the unpleasant first journey to Mexico, he returned to Texas and fell in love with it’s rich, green countryside which was abundant with wildflowers. Nice to see that hasn’t changed! At the time, Linn exported goods from Louisiana and sold them to Mexican soldiers. He traveled all over Mexico, setting up stores and traveling to and fro Texas and Louisiana.
I greatly admire his tenacity to ensure that his book is known to be “recollections” of the past and does not claim them as “history.” There are many instances when he can, and in fact does, make note of past authors who have not written the history according to actual fact.
Linn became a resident of Victoria and would sail from Louisiana into Corpus Christi Bay, Matagorda Bay, Aransas Pass, Pass Cavallo and traveled via the Lavaca River. He was familiar with Victoria, Linnville, Long Mott, San Antonio and most of the Texas coast before many cities or counties were born.
At this time in the early 1800s, a cow and a calf were worth $10, a bull or heifer $5 and the main crops were cotton and corn. Soldiers carried shields made of dried rawhide, some of which could be dated back to 1734 AD.
This is a great read because it’s immersed in conversations with influential people from two centuries ago; I’m sure you will recognize many of the Colonels. In addition much of our spectrum is talked about. For instance, Major Kerr was surveying the land in our area in the fall of 1834. He along with six or seven others were camped out at Long Mott but prior surveying, they were informed that Carankua Indians were steadily approaching. The story tells that the Indians were told there were soldiers in the mott with a cannon and came to confirm the story. The men took warlike measures and the Indians retreated.
Once they stood down, Don Fernando de Leon invited one of the Carankua Indians for a parley. He was then able to form a petition with the Indians. They were to immediately cross to the west side of the bay where no colonists occupied the land and remain there in exchange for tobacco. The Carankuas agreed and retreated leaving Major Kerr able to survey Long Mott, the bay all the way to where Indianola is present day.
In many ways, I felt fifteen again, reading a book assigned as a project during Texas History. As I continued to read the pages of this 369-page book, I want to escape to these familiar touristy places; Washington-on-the-Brazos and the Alamo. I want to stand there and read the words there were published so long ago. Times were vastly different, difficult, strenuous and in the end I hope we can make those pioneers happy and proud about what has turned out thus far.
John Linn went onto be a very famous entrepreneur in our area. I’d like to tell you about that in the next edition of The Dolphin Talk. If you can’t wait until then you can read ahead, Reminiscences of Fifty Years in Texas, is available for purchase online at: http://www.amazon.com/Reminiscences-Fifty-Years-Texas-John/dp/0938349007. Till next time! Happy Thanksgiving!
