Texas Almanac, 1859 Page: 174
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JASPER.
[Furnished by an old Citizen of the County.]
Wiess' Bluff is situated on the Neches river, in Jasper county, fifty miles be-
low the town of Jasper, and sixteen miles above the town of Beaumont, it be-
ing at the head of tide water. I have resided here with my family for nearly
nineteen years. I believe this to be a very healthy section of country-so much
so, that we never have had occasion to employ a physician. This is a timbered
country, and consists of a considerable variety, }nt in the immediate neighbor-
hood it is mostly pine and cypress. The soil is thin, but it rests on a good clay
foundation, and the most of it is susceptible of cultivation; the farms are gen-
erally very small in this immediate neighborhood, but stock-raising is the prin-
cipal occupation of the inhabitants. The cotton region of this county is in the
neighborhood of Jasper, where there are some very fine cotton lands, and some
extensive cotton plantations. Last year's cotton crop (1856-'57) could not have
been less than 1800 or 2000 bales. When I first settled this place, in 1839, the
shipment of cotton that year consisted of fourteen or sixteen bales, but it has
been increasing steadily until now; and as near as I can judge of the quantity
that went down last fall and this spring, (1868) it cannot be much short of 7,000
bales, besides hides, peltries, tobacco and lumber. There are three steam saw-
mills below this on the river, and one above, all in successful operation. The
most of the cotton from this county is shipped to New Orleans, and all the beef
cattle are driven into Louisiana. We have three steamboats running between
Bevilport and Sabine Pass, and shortly expect an addition of two more light-
draught steamboats. The principal emigration to this section of country is
from Florida, Georgia and Louisiana, with a good many slaves. The money in
circulation is gold and silver, mostly brought in return for beeves. The stock-
raisers, as a general thing, are in easy circumstances, and less indebtedto the
merchants than the other portion of the community. The wild animals of our
vicinity consist of bears, wildcats, panthers, deer, opossums, raccoons, squir-
rels, turkies and rabbits, with a few foxes and wolves.
JACKSON.
[Furnished by J. 31. WrITE, Assessor and Collector.]
There are in this county (1857) 1800 acres cultivated in cotton, average yield
per acre 1700 pounds seed cotton ; 3700 acres in corn, 35 bushels per acre Sugar
cane has been cultivated on a small scale, and by inexperienced persons; the
result, however, was very favorable. The county is well adapted to the growth
of cane, as much so as any of the coast counties. Fifteen acres, on an average,
are cultivated to the hand. There are 110 farms, 1100 whites, 1 blind, (white)
1 lunatic, and 1 deaf and dumb, (both slaves.) Some lands have been culti-
vated twenty-eight or thirty years. They perhaps do not produce quite so well
as fresh lands, yet there are very fair crops made on them now. Cattle are con-
sidered the most profitable stock raised. They pay an interest of 33 per cent.
on the amount invested. Beeves are worth from $13 to $15 per head. Pork
from 4 to 5 cents per pound. Sheep, as far as tried, do well. Texans is the only
town in the county; it was commenced in 1833. It contains four dry goods
stores, one grocery and provision store, a courthouse, jail, one church, (Metho-
dist) a temperance hall and schoolhouse. Onr streams are Carancabua, which
empties into Matagorda Bay; the Mustang, Sandy, Navidad, Lavaca, Arenoso
and Garcitas, which empty into Lavaca Bay. The county is generally level
prairie, with timber and rolling or undulating surface on the margin or near the
streams. Jackson county is one of the original counties; it was first settled in
1827 or :28. Kerr, Andrews, York, Hatch, Sutherland, the Menefees, Whites,
Milbys, Alley, Beaty, Wells and McNutt, were among the first settlers. Beeves
shipped to New Orleans this year, 2000 ; driven to other markets, 800. There is
but little building lumber in this county; it is mostly imported at a cost of $26
per M. Springs are scarce; cistern water is generally used; there are some
fine wells of water, but frequently the well water is impregnated with mineral
substances. Stock water plenty. We, who have lived here for twenty-five or thir-
ty years, think the county healthy, as much so as any county in the State, or any
other country in the same latitude. Amongst the first settlers named above,
there are living yet John Andrews, Sylvanus Hatch, Alison York, Thomas
Menefee, Wm. Menefee, Benj. J. White, Peter White, Robert Milby, Wm. Alley,
Edward Beaty, F. F. Wells, N. McNutt.174
TEXAS ALMANAC.
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Texas Almanac, 1859, book, 1859~; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth123765/m1/175/: accessed May 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.