The Dissertation Committee for Judith L - The University of Texas at ...

abbit, whitetail deer, turkey, squirrel, raccoon, skunk, opossum, bobcat, and coyote are
some of the better-known animals of the region. 26 Below the escarpment and into the
Blackland Prairie the vegetation changes. Grasses dominate this region with grama,
buffalo and bluestem grasses found in abundance. In isolated areas there are the same
shrub and tree types as found on the plateau, but the one tree variety not found below the
escarpment is the juniper. 27 Since grasses dominate this area larger animals such as the
whitetail deer find it difficult to find adequate shelter and are seldom seen below the
escarpment. The other smaller species listed above, however, can be found in abundance
on the Blackland prairie.
These are the shared habitats that the Germans and Southern Anglos found when
they established towns in the 1840s. Other shared elements of an economic nature
further strengthened the comparative approach of this study. Both towns were built along
the shared travel route of the older Spanish road -- “El Camino Real.” Later they both
shared a railroad line, the International and Great Northern Railroad, or better known as
the I-G N line. By the 1870s it was clear that these two communities were the largest in
their respective counties, which lead to their political dominance that ended in both
serving as their county’s respective seat of government.
Purpose of the Study
In this “laboratory,” I determine whether the two settler groups of southern
Anglos and Germans made a difference in the development of their respective towns.
Stephen F. Austin, the Anglo colony-founder, passed through the region in 1821 on his
26 Soil Survey, 53-54
17