The Junior Historian, Volume 30, Number 2, November 1969 Page: 1
32 p. : ill. ; 25 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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ON THE BANKS
OF CEDAR
CREEK
by MARGARET COLLINS
Stephen F. Austin High School, AustinT HE COLD SILENCE of the night
air was shattered by the curdling
warwhoop from marauding In-
dians. Such was not an uncommon expe-
rience in the small community of Cedar
Creek in Bastrop County, Texas, a cen-
tury ago. Except for the inevitable signs
of progress, such as barbed wire fences
and the automobile, the people and the
land comprising this community remain
much the same as they were during the
days of the Republic of Texas. In order
to understand fully this small rural com-
munity, one must explore its historical
background. Traditions of the past, es-
tablished by the early settlers of the area,
helped to make Cedar Creek what it is
today.
The early pioneers of the area brought
with them a taste for adventure and an
enduring determination, managing in the
end to establish a community in a for-
bidding and hostile land. The earliest of
these settlers came during the Mexican
colonization period and were given Span-
ish land grants. Most of them were of
southern origin, bringing with them cus-toms and traditions native to the South.
One of the most prominent of these
pioneers was Addison Litton of Missouri.
In 1832 he was given a league of black-
land prairie on either side of Cedar
Creek. After establishing a home, he
married Mary Owen of Alabama in Bas-
trop under Mexican law. Soon he was
engaged in hostilities against the dual
threat of the tyrannical government of
Santa Anna and the constant danger of
Indian attack. During the climax of the
Revolution, Litton transported his family
to safety and returned to the Texas army
to serve as guard on a wagon train during
the Battle of San Jacinto. After the war
he and his family returned, only to find
their house burned by the Indians. Un-
daunted, they began anew. Again Litton
was called upon to defend his country,
serving in the Texas Rangers until 1845,
at which time he was killed by Indians.
His family stayed on, and eventually
the homestead became the property of
his son Frank. Although young Litton
was handicapped by a crippled right
hand, he managed to establish a thriving
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Texas State Historical Association. The Junior Historian, Volume 30, Number 2, November 1969, periodical, November 1969; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth391288/m1/3/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.