The Public Lands of Texas, 1519-1970

FOREWORD

Land has always been important in Texas. There was no gold or silver, no pearls or precious jewels, no abundant beaver furs, no rich cities or built-up civilizations to lure Europeans and Americans to Texas. They came for land. 

While Spain and Mexico owned Texas, 26,280,000 acres of the total state area of 242,594,560 acres were granted to missions and to individuals. In 1836, when Texas became independent, the republic came into possession of 216,314,560 acres of unappropriated public domain not included in any existing Spanish or Mexican land grants.

When Texas entered the Union as a state in 1845, the articles of annexation provided that Texas would be liable for its public debts. Since the Union did not assume the public debts of the state, Texas retained all of its public lands in order to help pay these debts. In 1850, Texas ceded 67,000,000 acres to the United States to settle a boundary dispute with the Union and received $10,000,000 with which to pay off public debts. This settlement left Texas an area of approximately 170,000,000 acres. Thus from 1836 to the present, Texas has had disposition, after grants by Spain and Mexico, of her own free choice