Allen Ranch
The Allen Ranch, or Sam Allen Ranch, was one of the first and longest running ranches in the history of the state of Texas in the United States. The ranch was started a few years after the Texas Revolution in what is now southeast Houston and Pasadena. The ranch itself extended from Clear Lake to Harrisburg (in modern east Houston).[1] The cattle range covered much of southeast Harris County and Galveston County covering many of the modern communities around Galveston Bay.
The financial success of the Allen Ranch and its associated businesses substantially influenced the early development of Houston,
Beginnings
As a young man Samuel W. Allen (no relation to the Allen Brothers who founded Houston) came to the newly established
Like many ranchers in Texas, Allen began his herd by gathering
Boom times
Allen's fortunes grew rapidly after the
After the Civil War,
Sam W. Allen's son, Samuel E. Allen, took over management of the ranch and, though some of Sam W. Allen's other business ventures failed, the Allen Ranch continued to prosper and grow.
The Allens invested heavily in area business development, in Galveston and Harrisburg, and then later Houston (notably they founded the Oriental Textile Mills, once the world's largest press cloth manufacturer in the cotton industry).[8] They were also wealthy socialites known throughout the region.
Modern era
Following Sam E. Allen's death in 1913, much of the family's ranch holdings were sold off to new development around Pasadena and the growing city of Houston.
Today many areas of Houston, Pasadena, and other cities bear names referring to the Allen family and the ranch properties.[6]
See also
Notes
- ^ Allen, Samuel William from the Handbook of Texas Online Texas State Historical Association
- ^ Texas State History Association. Allen Ranch. "In 1876 the Morgan Lines [which went on to promote Houston's development] moved operations from Galveston to a new wharf opposite the Allen Ranch's docks [on the Buffalo Bayou]."
"The Allen Ranch". Retrieved 12 Sep 2009.Allen supported the commercial development of Houston and was one of the founders of what was to become Texas Commerce Bank (Chase Bank).
- ^ "The Allen Ranch". Retrieved 12 Sep 2009.
He encouraged the construction of the railroad, over his ranch lands, from Harrisburg to La Porte in 1894, and built his own private railway station, "El Buey." As Pasadena began to develop in the late 1890s many of the early settlers worked on the Allen Ranch and many more could boost [sic] of personal friendships with the Allens.
- ^ Allen, Samuel William from the Handbook of Texas Online Texas State Historical Association. "Samuel Allen was a rancher and a partner in the Galveston-based firm of Allen and Poole, the largest shippers of cattle in Southeast Texas ..."
- ^ Webb(1952), page 19
- ^ a b c d e Texas State History Association. Allen Ranch
- ^ Francaviglia (1998), pg. 221
- ^ a b TSHA: Allen, Samuel Ezekiel
- ^ Kerns (2001), pg. 24
References
- Webb, Walter Prescott (1952). The Handbook of Texas. Texas State Historical Association. ISBN 9780876110270.
- Francaviglia, Richard V. (1998). From sail to steam: four centuries of Texas maritime history, 1500-1900. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-72503-4.
- Allen Ranch from the Handbook of Texas Online
- ALLEN, SAMUEL EZEKIEL from the Handbook of Texas Online
- ALLEN, SAMUEL WILLIAM from the Handbook of Texas Online
- Morgan Lines from the Handbook of Texas Online
- Pasadena, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
- Kerns, Matthew (May 1, 2019). Texas Jack: America's First Cowboy Star. TwoDot. ISBN 9781493055418.
External links
- "The Allen Ranch". Retrieved 9 Sep 2009.
- "Photographs, undated, in the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library at Texas Tech University". Retrieved 9 Sep 2009.