Studies Weekly Week 23 - Texas Before the Railroads

Studies Weekly Week 23 - Texas Before the Railroads

Texas was a land of opportunity for many settlers who were searching for economic prosperity and a better life. During the period of Mexican control, followed by the Republic years, American settlers and European immigrants flocked to Texas. Many were in search of fertile but affordable land for farming. Others wanted to capitalize on the growing shipping industry in coastal communities.

Multiple Choice

Texas was a land of opportunity for many settlers who were searching for

• economic prosperity and a better life

• to capitalize on the growing shipping industry in coastal communities

• fertile but affordable land for farming.

• All of the above.

​Settlers faced many challenges in Texas. The greatest challenge they faced was a lack of reliable transportation. Most settlers traveled across the prairies in covered wagons. Wagoners used old American Indian trails and undeveloped roads that were often difficult to travel along. Other settlers made the journey to Texas by crossing the Atlantic Ocean on ships, which could take weeks or months. Once in Texas, people often settled in the eastern and southern parts of the state. They did not wish to undertake another dangerous journey to settle the western frontier. 

Multiple Choice

What was the greatest challenge Texans faced during this time in history?

• tremendous heat

• shallow rivers

• lack of transportation

• politicians

​Steamboat travel developed in port cities like Houston and Galveston. Many inland rivers in Texas, however, were too shallow for large steamboats to travel on. The lack of reliable transportation also caused issues for business owners in Texas. It was difficult for people to transport their products to markets in the state and larger cities in other areas of the country. Politicians and lawmakers knew they had to find an alternative form of transportation. They needed one that could bring more settlers to Texas and move goods to markets faster.

Multiple Choice

True or False:

Steamboat travel developed in port cities like Houston and Galveston.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

The lack of reliable transportation also caused issues to

• Cattle barons

• politicians

• business owners in Texas

​Texans turned to the railroad to solve their transportation issues. The first efforts to bring the railroad to Texas began in 1836, when Texas was an independent republic. The Republic of Texas issued charters to various companies to build railroads in the eastern part of the republic. Most of the early railroad companies were centered in Houston and connected the city to the surrounding areas. 

Multiple Choice

 The first efforts to bring the railroad to Texas began in

• 1842

• 1836

• 1832

• 1819

​The railroad grew slowly in Texas during the mid-1800s. The government of Texas hoped the United States would pay its debts from the Texas Revolution following annexation. This was not the case. The new state government did not have the funds to build large-scale railroads. Railroad companies tried to obtain loans and investments from wealthy entrepreneurs in the east. Most people were unwilling to spend their money in a frontier state.

Multiple Choice

What is one reason the railroad grew slowly in Texas?

• People didn’t want to loan money to a frontier state.

• People were worried cattle would get in the way of the railroad tracks.

• People felt there was no need for the railroad outside of Houston.

• The steamboat industry didn’t want the competition.

​By 1861, smaller railroad companies laid 470 miles of track in southeastern Texas. It would take several years for the railroad to boom and connect all parts of the state together.

Multiple Choice

By 1861, how many miles of railroad tracks were there in Texas?

• 100

• 271

• 350

• 470